BMW International Open Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Thriston Lawrence battles to dramatic victory in Munich

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 05:25:39 +0000

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Thriston Lawrence claimed his second win of the season as he overhauled Joost Luiten on a dramatic final day in Germany to take the title at the BMW International Open.

The South African entered the final day at Golfclub München Eichenried four shots behind his rival but had reeled him in by the turn before back-to-back three-putts on the 12th and 13th left him two behind with five to play.

The 17th then proved critical as Lawrence hit a stunning tee shot to set up a birdie and Luiten three-putted the par-three to drop out of the lead for the first time all day.

Lawrence parred the last for a 69 to finish at 13 under and with Luiten unable to make a birdie on the par-five, the 26-year-old was left celebrating a fourth DP World Tour title.

Luiten’s closing 74 left him a shot ahead of Kiwi Daniel Hillier, Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino, local favourite Maximilian Kieffer and Pole Adrian Meronk.

Lawrence was the first winner of the DP World Tour era last season at the Joburg Open and he added another title at the Omega European Masters en route to being crowned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.

Another win in his homeland at the Investec South African Open Championship came at the start of this season but that was his last worldwide top ten and Lawrence cut an emotional figure as he reflected on a fourth win in 19 months.

“It means a lot,” he said, fighting back tears after becoming just the second South African to win this trophy after the great Ernie Els.

“There’s been a lot of hard work. I went to America for six weeks and made one cut – this game is not easy. It was a real boost today and I really gave it my all. I feel sorry for Joost, I know how tough this game is.

“I don’t know why I’m so emotional but obviously it just shows that it means the world and to get my fourth victory in Germany is unbelievable.

“I seem to win a lot of events that Ernie has won. It’s special, he’s obviously the ultimate hero for me. I grew up in that era where he was on top of the world and it’s very special to get my name along alongside him.”

Lawrence holed a 46-footer at some pace on the second and followed it with a left-to-righter from 23 feet on the next to get within two of the leader after a quick start.

A Luiten three-putt on the third saw the lead down to one but Lawrence found the hazard on the fifth and had to take a drop, surrendering his first shot of the day.

The advantage was up to three as Luiten holed from 17 feet on the fifth but Lawrence got up and down on the par-five sixth and then hit a wonderful approach to four feet at the next to trim the advantage back to one.

Lawrence missed the green at the eighth to give up a bogey but Luiten three-putted again from the fringe at the seventh and a Lawrence birdie after laying up at the par-five ninth had him tied at the top.

The roller coaster continued for Lawrence when he found sand and dropped a shot at the tenth and, after it had been a two-horse race over the front nine, there were now five players within three shots of Luiten.

Lawrence was back in a share of the lead after laying up at the par-five 11th but back-to-back three-putts dropped him two behind and all of a sudden, Kieffer was the nearest challenger.

He had birdied the first after a smart approach but gave the shot back on the third before making it birdies on all four days at both the sixth and ninth to turn in 34.

He continued his remarkable record on the par-fives with an eagle from 28 feet at the 11th and an approach to ten feet had him within one before he found water at the 16th and dropped a shot.

That gave Luiten his two-shot cushion back but it would not last for long as Lawrence holed a remarkable 36-foot left-to-righter that went over a mound and through the fringe on the 15th before he put his tee-shot to five feet at the 17th for an eighth birdie of the day.

There were then gasps around the 17th green as Luiten missed from three feet and a third three-putt of the day meant that, for the first time in the round, the Dutchman was off the top of the leaderboard and needed a birdie up the last for a play-off after Lawrence finished his round with just a fifth par of the day.

Luiten hit a tree off the 18th tee which forced him to lay up and while he had a chance to birdie from the fringe, he missed from 25 feet and Lawrence was the victor.

Kieffer carded a 68, the same score as Meronk, with Hoshino signing for a 69 and Hillier recording a 71 to finish a shot ahead of Dutchman Daan Huizing, Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon.

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DP World Tour: UAE champs to the fore as Haotong on course for a momentous Munich moment

Matt Smith — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 06:10:54 +0000

By Matt Smith
China’s Li Haotong is 18 holes away from a wire-to-wire triumph at the BMW International Open and his first DP World Tour title in more than four years as he takes a three-stroke lead into the final round.

The 26-year-old, whose last victory came at the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, started the day with a one-stroke lead which he quickly extended with his third eagle of the week on the par five sixth hole and three further gains before the turn.

He came home level par after recording three birdies and three bogeys on the back nine to sign for a five-under 67 and a 20-under total, tightening his grip on the lead he’s held after each round at Golfclub München Eichenried.

Li, who equalled the course record of 62 on Thursday, will be joined in the final group by 2016 Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters, who won his first Rolex Series title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January — his sixth win on the DP World Tour.

Pieters was one under par through ten holes but came home in 31 strokes to sign for a six under 66, moving to within three strokes of Li on 17 under.

One stroke further back is Englishman Jordan Smith, who won his maiden DP World Tour title on German soil at the Porsche European Open in 2017. Sharing fourth place are current Ras Al Khaimah champion New Zealander Ryan Fox and Dutchman Darius van Driel on 15-under par.

“I was a lot more comfortable than I thought,” said Li. “Quite surprised. Just another great day again. Germany has been treating me very good so far.

“I didn’t expect an eagle on number six, and didn’t expect that birdie on 15 as well.

“The last time when I won in Dubai I was playing with Rory, and I thought I was trying to finish second that week. There’s no expectation. Even today, I played great, still have a three-shot lead but tomorrow will be a tough day. I just need to hang on in there, play my game. Expect everything. I just need to get comfortable as much as possible.”

Pieters added: “You know people are going to shoot 64, so I was getting a bit frustrated after about six or seven holes because I was only one-under and I had to save par a couple of times. It was very nice to shoot 31 on the back.

“People have come back from further behind. I just look forward to a lovely day tomorrow and hopefully a lot of birdies.”

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Fox in the hunt as Li Haotong stays ahead in Munich

Matt Smith — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 08:15:03 +0000

Li Haotong. DP World Tour

By Matt Smith
Li Haotong took a one-stroke lead into the weekend at the BMW International Open after carding a second-round 67 at Golfclub München Eichenried.

Seeking his first DP World Tour win since the 2018 Dubai Desert Classic, Li, from China, followed up Thursday’s course-record equalling 10-under par round with a five under 67 for a 15-under total.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, already a winner this season at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, is bogey-free through 36 holes in the Bavarian state capital as he carded an eagle and six birdies, with his last gain of the day coming on the 18th hole to move to within a stroke of Li.

Daan Huizing is two strokes further back on 12-under par after a three-under round of 69, following on from a first-round 63. In a share of fourth are 2016 Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters and Englishman Jordan Smith, who is seeking a second DP World Tour win on German soil, on 11-under, while Maximilian Kieffer leads the home charge in solo sixth on 10-under par.

“I’m feeling great,” said Li. “I think I’ve only missed two cuts this year. It’s been working, especially off the tee, I’ve improved a lot and it’s back to where I was. I just need to keep grinding, keep improving and showing up.

“I was feeling the pressure on the last few holes. Hopefully I can just play my golf and keep calm.

“To be honest, I didn’t drive the ball as well as yesterday. My short game was okay. It depends when you get in the rough, the lie could be really bad, or it could be good. Sometimes you just need luck.”

RAK champ Fox: “I’m really happy. I did everything right the last couple of days and my short game has been really tidy — that’s been a big positive. I don’t think I’ve ever gone bogey-free for 36 holes. I’m happy and in with a chance over the weekend again.

“(Li’s score) proved there was a low number out there. We had a really nice group, I really enjoyed playing with Billy and Tom. We got it going for a while and fed off each other. It’s nice to be up there and shoot a decent score today and be there or thereabouts for tomorrow.

“I had a couple of really good shots just before the rain delay and I was really disappointed we stopped. Obviously we had no choice, it was pretty dark out there. It was a little scratchy the first couple of holes coming back, but I made a nice birdie on 11 and then a 35-footer on 14, then hit some good shots coming home after that. It took a little more to get the rhythm back, but I was happy that the half-scratchy shots I hit were still not that bad. That’s what golf’s about right? It’s not how good your good is, it’s how good your bad is, and my bad has been pretty good the last couple of days.”

Huizing added: “It was definitely not as smooth as yesterday but you can’t expect to shoot nine-under every day. I’m happy I got it to three-under with the way I played, it’s a good score. There’s definitely a couple of things to clean up, but that’s OK. We’re in a great position and that’s where I want to be.”

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DP World Tour: Li Haotong hits brilliant 62 at BMW International Open in Germany

Matt Smith — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 05:59:34 +0000

Li Haotong. DP World Tour

By Matt Smith
Li Haotong fired two sensational eagles in his last four holes sign for a 62 and tie the course record in Munich and open up a one-shot lead on day one of the 2022 BMW International Open.

Starting from the tenth tee, the two-time DP World Tour winner carded six birdies before eagles at the sixth and ninth — the front nine’s two par fives — took him to 10-under par.

The 26-year-old’s flawless 62 gave him a one-stroke advantage over nearest challenger Daan Huizing, who finished with back-to-back birdies to sign for a bogey-free 63.

Home favourite Nicolai von Dellingshausen made an eagle, seven birdies and a single bogey to sit alone in third on eigh-under.

Two strokes back in a share of fourth place are six golfers, including Ras Al Khaimah champ Ryan Fox and Daniel van Tonder.

Maximilian Kieffer provided one of the highlights of the day as he delighted the home crowds with an albatross on the par five 11th hole – the first of his career.

“It’s been an incredible day for me,” said Li, the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner. “I didn’t expect that because I spent a couple of weeks off in Dubai, which was hot — I didn’t practice much. I had a good start, two birdies on the first three holes. Then turned my back nine, I think I had six one-putts in a row, which helps. Then hit every fair I think.

“It helped me cool down mentally a little bit, low expectation, no expectation, just play golf and enjoy every shot.

“The last few weeks I’ve played solid, I just couldn’t put it all together. Hopefully this week I can use some experience from there and put things together.”

Huizing added: “I was hitting it well, good off the tee and I think that’s very important. But I holed some nice putts as well, that gets a round going when you convert pretty much every chance you get.”

Von Dellingshausen said: “I just saw (Li) on the leaderboard for the first time in 16, I was still leading then I saw him make eagle and then another one somewhere. I would have loved to make the eagle on 18, but it didn’t drop – that’s fine, I’m still very happy.”

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BMW International Open 2022: Thomas Pieters inspired by Matt Fitzpatrick’s US Open win

Matt Smith — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 12:37:22 +0000

By Matt Smith
Thomas Pieters, the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner, has said that watching his Team Europe Ryder Cup pal Matt Fitzpatrick claim a sensational US Open crown in Brookline has given him the motivation to get back in the winner’s circle.

Ahead of the DP World Tour BMW International Open in Munich, Pieters finished T27 at The Country Club, and now he is ready to grab a second title of the season at Golfclub München Eichenried.

The world No. 35 played alongside Fitzpatrick at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine and said he is “over the moon” for his English friend.

“It is just amazing for him,” Pieters said. “We were in a house together at the US PGA Championship, I saw him in contention there and how calm he was on Saturday evening, Sunday morning and then to do it at the next major is impressive.

“He works at his game really hard, like everyone says he works every extra one per cent he can. It gives me motivation as well to see him get over the line for European golf. You saw Rory McIlroy with him on the 18th and you could see what it meant for the European players.”

Pieters was happy with his performance in Boston and has played in all three majors so far this season ahead of The 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July.

The Belgian, who also won the Portugal Masters last November, added: “I feel like I am really close to returning to my best. My putting has been really good and that has been the missing link over the past years. I am driving it a lot better, and my attitude is a lot better. I arrive at tournaments, and I am looking forward to contending. I have won twice in the last eight months, so I feel like I am going in the right direction.”

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Viktor Hovland holds off charging Martin Kaymer and makes European Tour history in the process

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 00:26:06 +0000

Andrew Redington
Viktor Hovland reacts to his putt on the 17th green during the final round of the BMW International Open.

By John Huggan
The to-do list continues to compress, just as the ticks he is placing in elite golf’s various boxes continue to multiply. Already a two-time victor on the PGA Tour, Viktor Hovland can now call himself a winner on the European Tour. With a final-round two-under 70 at the Golfclub München Eichenried, the 23-year-old former U.S. Amateur champion reached 19 under par for the week and held off all-comers by at least two shots to claim the BMW International Open title.

Not incidentally, in the process of ticking yet another box in a professional career still just two years old, Hovland became the first Norwegian to finish first on the Old World circuit. It is a maiden victory that came in only his 17th European Tour event, matching exactly the number of starts it took him to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.

All of which was not achieved without more than a little discomfort over the 7,284-yard layout just outside Munich. On a day when former U.S, Open and PGA champion Martin Kaymer made 10 birdies to match the low score of the week (64), Hovland was, for long enough, relatively becalmed. Only one birdie came his way in the first 12 holes, three-putts for par on both the ninth and 11th especially jarring.

Indeed, when Kaymer holed-out for one last dip under par on the 18th green, he was tied with Hovland on 17 under par. Further complicating matters, Spain’s Jorge Campillo was only one-shot back. The pressure then, was all on Hovland, who was in the process of making par on the short 12th. At that stage he had made only 28 feet of putts on the round.

The key, however, was that, even amidst his struggles, Hovland was caught but never passed. Having begun the day with a three-shot edge and fully recovered from getting sand in his eye that forced his withdrawal from last week’s U.S. Open, he was spared the ultimate psychological blow. Especially vital in that regard were the 12-foot putts he made for birdie on the 424-yard par-4 13th, then par on the following green. The up-and-down for birdie at the drivable 319-yard 16th wasn’t too shabby either. Lead restored, then maintained, then extended.

Which was perhaps just as well. A third three-putt from Hovland on the penultimate green meant a dropped shot and the need for no more than a par on the 568-yard par-5 18th to clinch victory. In the end, his immaculately played closing birdie meant the margin of victory over Kaymer was two shots.

“I’m kinda glad that’s all over,” said Hovland, who is expected to move to a career-high 13th in the World Ranking and has all-but clinched his Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits in September. “Sleeping on the lead you think about winning and yes, it was a long day and very stressful. I saw that Martin was creeping up from behind and Jorge was hanging in there. But making birdie on 13 helped me a lot, as did the par-save on 14. That was big for momentum. From there, I was just trying to play solid golf and not make too many mistakes. It was good enough today. And I have a lot to look forward to. The Open. The Olympics. The Ryder Cup. But first I can relax for a couple of weeks at home in Norway with all my friends. I’m going have a blast.

As for Kaymer, the 36-year-old former World No. 1 was more than happy to follow his T-26 finish at last week’s U.S. Open with another strong showing. Since his last victory at the 2014 U.S. Open, the Dusseldorf native has watched as no fewer than 149 different men have won on the European Tour. So it’s been a while since he performed this well at this level. There was also the thought that, only a few days after being named one of European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington’s assistants, he was sending a wee “I can still play” message to his prospective boss.

“I knew at the start of the day I needed something really low,” said Kaymer, who teed-off eight shots behind Hovland. “But the putter was hot today, I made a lot of good ones. My goal at the beginning of the week was to get to 20 under. That is usually what you need to do on this course. And I played well over the first three days without holing too much. Still, even when I made the birdie on the last, I had feeling it wasn’t going to be quite enough. But it felt good to make it. Those are the moments you need when you haven’t been successful for a while.

“Last week at the U.S. Open gave me confidence,” Kaymer continued. “I found something in my swing during the third round. It feels good to putt as well as I did today. I made pretty much everything. And yes, of course I would like to participate in the Ryder Cup. It’s a huge honor to be a vice-captain, but I will be giving it everything I have to make the team. If it’s enough it will be a massive bonus, especially after the way I have played the last few years. If I put myself fin contention a few more times, maybe Padraig has something to think about.”

One last thing. Keep an eye out for Vincent Norrman. Following up his recent T-14 finish at the Scandinavian Mixed in his Swedish homeland, the 23-year-old, surely destined to be known as the “Great White Sharrk,” closed with a 66 to finish T-5 in his professional debut.

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Andrea Pavan outlasts Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff to win the BMW International Open

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 04:41:05 +0000

Andrea Pavan celebrates with his caddie on the 18th green after his victory during a playoff at the 2019 BMW International Open. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

By John Huggan
The closing hole on the Golfclub Munchen Eichenreid course is a 568-yard par 5 that doglegs sharply right-to-left around a water hazard. As such it is not a hole that suits Andrea Pavan. Not up to hitting driver, the 30-year-old Italian used his trusty 3-wood from that 18th tee six times during the BMW International Open and not once was able to reach the distant green in two shots.

All of which now matters not at all. With an unlikely birdie on his “bogey hole,” the former Texas A&M golfer (he was a member of the 2009 NCAA winning team) beat Matt Fitzpatrick on the second hole of their sudden-death playoff to claim his second European Tour title.

It came down to this: After hitting his tee shot way right into rough, Pavan half-smothered his next shot into the long grass on the other side of the fairway. The lie was better than expected though, and from there Pavan struck a wedge to less than three feet. When Fitzpatrick was unable to get up-and-down from sand short of the putting surface, it was all over.

Still, while Pavan ultimately relied more than a little on the misfortunes of others, his earlier play was a lot more distinguished. Starting four strokes off the pace, the eventual champion shot his lowest round of the season, a bogey-free six-under-par 66.

“This is amazing to be honest,” said Pavan, who arrived in Germany ranked 133rd in the world but left 32nd on the Race to Dubai. “I was playing very well coming into this week. And I thought I had a chance starting the day. I got off to a good start [three birdies in the first six holes], but hit a few bad drives, my Achilles heel. I’m happy I have a strong 3-wood and 2-iron. That 18th hole is not the best for me, without driver. But I somehow managed to make birdie.

“I was feeling rushed when I got to my third shot in the playoff. I was out of position. But I got a decent lie. And it came out great. I’m glad it finished so close. Winning is so hard.”

Indeed, even as Pavan walked off the 18th green having finished on 15 under par, victory appeared to be in the hands of Fitzpatrick. Standing on the 16th tee, the former Ryder Cup player needed to play the last three holes in one under par to notch up his sixth European Tour title. With a drivable par 4 and a reachable par 5 to go, the young Englishman appeared to be in good shape.

It wasn’t to be, however. Having driven through the 16th green, Fitzpatrick needed three to get down, missing from five feet after a weak chip. A bogey, his only dropped shot of the day, followed at the short 17th, where he found sand off the tee, before a birdie on the last, courtesy of a brilliant 3-wood into the middle of the green, salvaged a spot in the playoff.

Others could have joined that party too, most notably Fitzpatrick’s playing partner, Matt Wallace. But that notion disappeared as the World No. 24—and the Race to Dubai leade —twice found water on the 18th en route to a bogey 6 that dropped him into a cosmopolitan seven-way tie for third place alongside South African Christian Bezuidenhout, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Alvaro Quiros of Spain, Italian Edoardo Molinari, Matthias Schwab of Austria and Jordan Smith from England.

One last thing. Lee Westwood’s T-10 finish was his 165th top-10 on his home circuit, fifth best all-time.

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Eddie Pepperell pranks Matt Wallace with the media day from hell

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 14 May 2019 09:04:03 +0000

By Coleman Bentley
The prank video is one of modern culture’s greatest contributions to art. Years from now, alien archaeologists will come across a DVD of Punk’d season two and hang it in their space museum alongside the Mona Lisa, but for now it’s our turn to laugh thanks to Eddie Pepperell and the evil geniuses at the European Tour. Together the pair conspired to lead Matt Wallace through a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day ahead of the BMW International Open, and thankfully for sadistic SOBs like us, Wallace played the role of unwitting victim to perfection. Let the cringing commence.

Matt Wallace spent a whole day doing promotional work.

But it was all a prank… ?#TheFakeMediaDay pic.twitter.com/SycUorgLzS

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) May 13, 2019

The whole thing begins with a staple of the prank video genre—the unbearably awful driver—and only spirals downward from there, leading poor Matt through one excruciating social situation after the next as he attempts to do “promotional” work for the BMW International Open. There’s a German voiceover session and a selfie-happy PR rep. Then a live spot on Golf Channel gets axed right as Wallace is told he may scratched a priceless vintage Beemer. As the repair team swarms in full hazmat suits, one removes his goggles revealing himself to be [drum roll please] Eddie Pepperell. The ruse, as well as Wallace’s patience, are up.

“To know from Eddie that he set it up and wanted me specifically.” Wallace told the camera after the reveal, “There’s revenge. There’s revenge involved somewhere down the line.”

When said revenge does come, we can only hope the cameras are rolling, because despite fake hole-in-ones, rage-inducing caddies, and rubber snakes, we still can’t get enough of this stuff.

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Wild final round at BMW International Open leaves England’s Matt Wallace an unexpected champion

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 04:55:34 +0000

(Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

By John Huggan
Listen carefully. This is a little complicated. So stay with me here.

Six men—Martin Kaymer, Aaron Rai, Lucas Bjerregaard, Scott Hend, Max Kieffer and Chris Paisley—went to bed on the eve of the BMW International Open’s final round tied for the lead on five under par. By the time they reached the first tee the next morning, all six were four shots off the pace, courtesy of Thorbjorn Olesen’s course-record 61 at Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof just outside Cologne. And 4½ hours after that, Matt Wallace, who woke up Sunday morning two-strokes back of all those overnight leaders, was the champion, one-shot ahead of Kaymer, Olesen and Mikko Korhonen.

Truly, golf is the most unpredictable of games.

Olesen first then. Two over par through 54 holes and seemingly out of contention, the Dane, recent winner of the Italian Open and nine days removed from missing the cut by a shot at the U.S Open, made nine birdies and an eagle in the bogey-free effort that set such a stern target for the sextet at the top of the leaderboard. Five of those birdies came in the last six holes. Someone was going to have to play well to beat his nine-under-par 279 total.

In the end, that man was Wallace, who also failed to make the weekend at Shinnecock Hills by the narrowest of margins. The 28-year-old Englishman made seven birdies, and no bogeys, in a Sunday 65 that was good enough to take him to 10 under par and a second victory of this European Tour season. Like Olesen, Wallace made his score on the back-nine. Five birdies in seven holes from the turn from the Hero Indian Open champion set an even more challenging target for those in the final two groups. One that was, eventually, too much for all of them.

“Brilliant to win here in Germany,” said Wallace, who also claimed the Open de Portugal crown towards the end of last year. “The BMW is such a great event, and to play against the likes of Martin Kaymer and the guys at the top there, it’s great. I have worked hard for this. I believe I can do it. I want to go further, I want to keep building on this. Obviously, this gives me a lot of confidence to go on and play well, and I want to kick on and hopefully do this in the bigger events from now on. This is great, this is a step in the right direction. We’ll keep working hard to bigger and better things.”

Kaymer stumbled on the 71st hole, costing him a chance to end his four-plus-year victory drought. (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Of the three runners-up, Kaymer surely left the course with the biggest regrets. Already nine under par, the former U.S Open and PGA champion stood maybe 20 yards short of the green on the 397-yard 17th after a perfect tee shot. Unfortunately, the German’s next effort was less impressive. Badly thinned, Kaymer’s pitch careered through the green into heavy rough. Three more to get down meant the former World No. 1’s chance for a first victory since Pinehurst No. 2 four years ago had all but gone. His birdie on the final hole, courtesy of a 20-foot putt, was irrelevant as far who was going to be cashing the €333,330 first-place check was concerned.

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Sergio Garcia wins near home in emotional follow-up to Masters breakthrough

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 05:27:21 +0000

Sergio Garcia celebrates victory on the 18th green during the final round of of the 2017 Andalucia Valderrama Masters. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

By John Huggan

In the just over six months that have passed since Sergio Garcia famously won the Masters, the Spaniard has had a lot going on. There was marriage to new wife, Angela. There is impending fatherhood to look forward to next March. And there has been much wearing of the iconic green jacket at functions around the globe. All have kept the 37-year-old busy off the course.

On the course things have been a little less exciting. A tie for 10th at the Tour Championship was Garcia’s best post-Augusta finish on the 2016-’17 PGA Tour. And T-2 behind Andres Romero at the BMW International Open in Germany last June has been his best effort on the European circuit. Not awful by any means, but it would be fair to say that finally breaking his long-standing major duck has hardly been the prelude to a string of further and immediate successes.

Until now anyway.

With a final-round four-under 67 on one of continental Europe’s most demanding layouts, Garcia picked up his 14th European Tour title (and sixth on home soil) the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation. His 12-under 272 total was just good enough to beat Dutchman Joost Luiten by a single stroke, with no one else really close. Daniel Brooks was third, five shots behind the new champion, a fact that had little impact on the wider world but meant an awful lot to the little-known 30-year-old Englishman. The €125,200 he earned means he will keep his European Tour card for at least another 12 months.

As one might expect, Garcia was more than a little emotional at close of play. For him—days after being awarded honorary membership of both the European Tour and Valderrama—this was a week when the dream scenario became reality. It isn’t often a golfer gets to win an event in front of his compatriots, never mind one hosted by his own charitable foundation and over a layout he calls “my favorite ever.” That last bit is no surprise, of course. In 13 tournament appearances as a professional at Valderrama, the eight-time Ryder Cup player has only once been outside the top 10. Eight times he has posted a top-five finish. Remarkable.

“I want to dedicate this to my wife, Angela, and the baby coming in March,” said Garcia, who picked up a check for €333,330 that leaves him in second place on the Race to Dubai money list, still €789,665 behind leader Tommy Fleetwood with four events left to play. “It was amazing out there. The people were unbelievable. So many come out to support. It was a treat.

“Daniel played great, especially with everything he had on the line. So did Joost. He kept coming back and made it an amazing match. Even when I was three ahead early on the back nine I never really thought I had it won. He was playing so well. And you can never relax at Valderrama. You have to love this place. You have to stay patient. Bad breaks have to be dealt with. So I just tried to stay patient and make sure any bad moments didn’t affect me too much. And I made a couple of key putts coming in.”

Perhaps the most vital of those came on the par-5 17th. With Luiten—who had crucially three-putted the previous green to fall behind — almost certain to make the birdie that would have seen the pair tied going to the 72nd tee, Garcia rolled in an incredibly fast, downhill left-to-right five-footer for his own 4 to maintain his one-shot edge. All in all, it was a lot like Augusta really.

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