Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano beat Austria's Markus Brier in a playoff to take the weather-reduced 54-hole Italian Open title today.

The Spaniard's birdie at the second extra hole earned him his third European Tour title after the pair had finished a stroke ahead of the field on 16-under-par.

Fernandez-Castano's scintillating finish, coming home in six-under 30 for a seven-under 65, set the 200 target.

Brier, bidding for a second win in four weeks, produced two birdies in the last three holes for a 68 to earn him his sudden-death chance.

Both players benefited from a collapse by England's Nick Dougherty. The Englishman threw away a three-shot lead with nine holes to play and came up a stroke light of the shootout by bogeying the penultimate hole.

Peter Lawrie closed with a 68 to be the leading irishman on 10-under and in a tie for 26th. Gary Murphy was three shots further back after his closing 70.

The decision to reduce the weather-disrupted tournament to 54 holes was taken by officials yesterday.