Filed under: Golf
Pablo Larrazabal held his nerve well to tap home a short putt on the fifth play-off hole to win the BMW International Open as he held off the challenge of a resurgent Sergio Garcia on a nail-biting final day.Both Spaniards carded 68 rounds in the final round to tie in first spot but it was the less-experienced Larrazabal who had the mental fortitude to finally claim victory in the play-off with a birdie on the 18th.
It was only the second victory for the 28-year-old on the European Tour and it is one that he will cherish as he also ensured qualification to the British Open while also dedicating the win to his recently deceased grandfather.
Larrazabal told Sky Sports: "Beating one of my heroes is just a dream, it's very emotional. Last week I lost my grandad so this victory is for him.
"I was looking at the leaderboard and I knew Sergio was dropping shots on the back nine but it was tough. I've just played my best and there's so many emotions now. All the work I did this week is for my grandad."
Garcia had a steady start to the day as he hit par on the first five holes but his round was ignited on the sixth with his first birdie of the day and it was soon followed by another on seven thanks to a tidy putt.
The Spaniard hit another birdie on the eight after a terrific tee shot left him within five feet of the hole and he easily putted home.
An eagle on nine put him right back into contention and then he followed that up with another on the par-five eleventh as a superb putt from the fringe of the green dropped to put him in the lead.
But Garcia's fellow countryman Larrazabal was also making steady progress as a birdie on the first got him off to a flying start.
Larrazabal's second shot from the fairway was perfectly-placed to set him up for his first of six birdies in his final 18 holes.
But just as Garcia was looking likely to take control down the back nine, he dropped shots on 12, 13 and 14 to hand the impetus back to his fellow Spaniard Larrazabal going into the final few holes.
Garcia hit another bogey on 16 to make it a tense final two holes but he managed to par 17 before a birdie on the par-five 18 ensured he took it to a two-man play-off with Larrazabal.
However, after being level on the previous four play-off holes, it was Larrazabal who came out on top on the fifth with a birdie on 18 as Garcia could only muster up a par.
But Garcia can take solace in the fact his second place ensures he will be at next month's Open Championship after his recent return to form which saw him finish seventh at last week's US Open.
Retief Goosen battled hard through the day with the South African carding a 70 round to finish tied third with fellow country man George Coetzee, Dutchman Joost Luiten, Scotland's Scott Jamieson and overnight leader Mark Foster.
Englisman Foster lost ground early on the fourth when he misjudged his third shot and it rolled into the water after falling short on the green.
A fine chip shot ensured it was only one shot dropped but his confidence seemed to have betrayed on the final day as he fell off the pace, carding a 72 and finishing tied third on 14 under par.
The biggest mover of the day was Scotland's Jamieson who shot a terrific 64 to move up the leaderboard.
"Yesterday I didn't play well at all but I finally managed to hole some putts todays," Jamieson, who is playing on his first European Tour, said. "It's very difficult to play here in Germany."
England's Robert Coles finished in eight spot on 13 under par, with fellow countrymen Ross Fisher and Lee Slattery alongside Swede Henrik Stenson on 12 under and Welshman Bradley Dredge a further shot back.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Sergio Agüero Sergio Ramos Shunsuke Nakamura Simao Sabrosa Stanislas Wawrinka
No comments:
Post a Comment