Max Kieffer ends nine-year wait for DP World Tour title at Czech Masters

Matt Smith — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 18:49:46 +0000

By Matt Smith
Germany’s Max Kieffer finally ended his near-decade-long wait for a maiden DP World Tour as he triumphed at the Czech Masters on Sunday.

Making his 249th appearance on the Tour, Kieffer carded a six-under 66 to finish one stroke ahead of Gavin Green at Albatross Golf Resort.

Kieffer started the day four strokes behind Green, who led after 36 holes as the tournament was reduced to three rounds due to heavy rain on Saturday. He made a fast start with six birdies in his first 11 holes and recovered from a bogey on 15 with his seventh gain of the day on the 17th hole as he took the lead for the first time on 16-under.

The 32-year-old had previously finished runner-up on four occasions, losing out in two play-offs, one of which was decided after a marathon nine holes in his rookie season in 2013. Extra holes were on the horizon as Green, who was one under par for the day, was just one stroke back as he played the 18th hole.

The Malaysian stuck his approach shot to 10 feet but his birdie putt agonisingly lipped out, handing Kieffer his first victory and his nation’s first DP World Tour title since Marcel Siem won the BMW Masters in 2014.

Green recorded his best finish on the DP World Tour since 2017 as he finished second on 15-under, while South Africa’s Louis De Jager and Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, who was runner-up at this event last year, shared third on 14-under.

“You’re thinking ‘I want to be ready’, in case he makes birdie you want to be ready,” Kieffer said of a potential playoff with Green. “You expect him to make birdie, you don’t want other people to miss putts but when the guy from the TV said: ‘You’ve won it,’ the feeling was ridiculous. It will need a few days.

“I just love golf. I just love to play golf. Even if I hadn’t won, I’ve still had a great life, I still enjoy playing golf. Now to win, that’s even better. You just have to keep trying. I had a few difficult years where I didn’t play, this year I feel like I’m playing very well. But, deep down, you never know in golf. I’m just so glad and I’m really going to enjoy it.

“To be honest I felt really calm and confident all day. I had a good feeling. I had a great warm up and I was ready to attack today. I thought I’d need at least another birdie because Gavin was at 17-under. I tried to be aggressive on 17. When I saw he was back to 15 and I had a putt for the lead, which I made, then on 18 the nerves kicked in. At the tee shot I was thinking I may not make contact with the ball, but I hit a great shot, then I had a good yardage for the second shot and it was nice to see the full shot in there and I made a nice putt there also.

“It’s got to be hard work. Hard work and keep going, always keep grinding. You have good days, bad days, you have to enjoy the good days and on the bad days you dig deep and keep going.”

The post Max Kieffer ends nine-year wait for DP World Tour title at Czech Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

European Tour five-hole playoff produces one of the most bizarre finishes you can imagine

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 21:08:25 +0000

Andrew Redington
John Catlin fist bumps Maximilian Kieffer after defeating him on the fifth sudden-death playoff hole Sunday at the Austrian Golf Open.

By Ryan Herrington
There was bit of a “Groundhog Day” feel to the playoff on Sunday at the European Tour’s Austrian Golf Open between John Catlin and Maximilian Kieffer. The two finished their final rounds on the par-3 18th hole at Diamond Country Club outside Vienna tied at 14 under for the tournament. So it was on to a sudden-death playoff, which would be played exclusively on that same 18th hole until somebody emerged the winner.

As it turned out there was nothing “sudden” about the playoff, however, the duo putting up matching pars the first two times around, then each making a birdie on the third playing under chilly overcast skies (both players bundled for what appeared like winter weather rather than spring). After each made another par the fourth time around—Catlin with an impressive up and down from a bunker—they trudged back to the tee box on the 180-yard hole, a scant few onlookers patiently waiting to see if somebody would finally seize the moment.

Once more, Catlin, a 30-year-old American who had won twice in a three-week stretch last summer on the European Tour, found the right greenside bunker, seemingly giving his opponent an opening. But Kieffer, a 30-year-old German looking for his first Euro Tour title, proceeded to hit his tee shot fat, the ball finding the water.

It wasn’t necessarily a mortal wound for Kieffer, who shot a closing 66 to get into the playoff, as he could get up-and-down from the drop zone for bogey, and maybe Catlin doesn’t save his par. But Kieffer then hit his third shot into the water as well. Then his fifth hit the green but spun 15 feet back and into the water once more.

The outcome now, in a quick moment of distress, pretty clear. Except Catlin had to finish the hole to officially claim victory. (Kieffer could not concede the win given they’re in a stroke-play setting). Which meant Kieffer had to play his seventh, finally hitting the green.

Catlin then got to proceed with his bunker shot, getting it on the green to roughly 10 feet. Kieffer managed to hole his 17-foot putt for a quintuple-bogey 8, and Catlin then missed his par putt, which of course didn’t really matter.

“It’s always nice to win,” Catlin said afterward. “It’s tough to watch that happen … we’re out here giving it our all.”

Every shot from the #AustrianGolfOpen play-off ?️ pic.twitter.com/JXBE4F5jiV

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 18, 2021

Kieffer, who is familiar with long playoffs having have lost on the ninth playoff hole to Raphael Jacquelin at the 2013 Open de España, was disappointed by stoic. “Every shot on the playoff felt good, too, but the last shot [first tee shot on the fifth extra hole] was a bit stupid. I got a bit too aggressive.”

Suffice it to say, we don’t think we’re going to see a playoff scorecard like this again any time soon.

The post European Tour five-hole playoff produces one of the most bizarre finishes you can imagine appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Maximilian Kieffer Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Max Kieffer ends nine-year wait for DP World Tour title at Czech Masters

European Tour five-hole playoff produces one of the most bizarre finishes you can imagine