Alfredsson finds luck on her side

Sweden's Helen Alfredsson took advantage of a bizarre piece of luck to beat her compatriot Lotta Neumann and Britain's Trish Johnson in a play-off at Refrath, Cologne yesterday and win her third Hennessy Cup in six years.

The three players had finished on 280, eight under par, before Neumann took three putts at the first extra hole to drop out.

Alfredsson had also looked like going out when she pushed her second shot into the trees. But her ball rebounded out, hit a spectator's head and finished on the fairway, leaving her able to match Johnson's par five. The Swede made no mistake at the next when she broke the deadlock by rolling in a birdie putt from 30 feet to take the pounds 45,000 winner's cheque.

"I was so lucky," Alfredsson said. "I gave my ball to the lady and said thank you."