Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano beat Austrian Markus Brier in a play-off to win the Italian Open today. It was the third European Tour win of the 26-year-old's career, following victories in the Dutch Open in 2005 and the Asian Open last season.

The pair had finished on 16 under after three rounds, with the rain-hit event having been cut to 54 holes. Gonzalo teed off at the 10th six shots behind the leader but came back with five birdies and an eagle. Brier then caught the Spaniard with birdies at the 16th and 17th to force a play-off, but it was Fernandez-Castano who made the decisive birdie on the second extra hole.

Gonzalo was delighted with his win, saying,"since winning in China three weeks ago my self-confidence has become very high. With some big tournaments coming up, I'm hoping to keep it that way." - 6 May 2007