EDOARDO MOLINARI SCORES
FIRST WIN AS TOUR PRO
Rookie tour pro Edoardo Molinari, the 2005 US Amateur champion, claimed his first professional victory at the European Challenge Tour’s Club Colombia Masters after a thrilling final round at the Bogota Country Club ended with the 25-year-old Italian defeating home hero Gustavo Mendoza in a sudden-death play-off to take the Euros 21,690 first prize.
Molinari and Mendoza, playing together in the final round, enjoyed a tense and exciting battle for the title that was eventually settled at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off . They had tied on five-under-par 269 for the regulation 72 holes.
BACK-TO-BACK BIRDIES
The Colombian trailed Molinari by two strokes after 12 holes of the last round, but consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th, followed by a Molinari bogey at the 15th brought the players level as they approached the last three holes.
Molinari then hit back with a birdie on the 16th to resume the lead and looked set to be crowned champion when he put his approach to the 17th to just seven feet. At that point, Mendoza was fully 60 feet from the hole but the Colombian drained his birdie effort to reapply the pressure on his rival.
Molinari responded by holing out to retain his one-shot lead, but a final birdie from Mendoza at the last, after Molinari had lipped out for the title, forced the tournament into extra holes.
With the par-5 18th selected as the play-off hole, both men made their way back to the tee before making great up and downs for a pair of birdies. Molinari then kept his head to make another birdie, while Mendoza saw his challenge finally fade by finding the water with his approach to the green.
“This is incredible,” Molinari smiled. “It was quite a spectacular week. I’m very happy about this victory, because I worked hard for it during the winter. I’m going to enjoy it.”
LEADING TOTALS
Par 284 (4 x 71)
279 E Molinari (Ita) 69 69 72 69, G Mendoza (Col) 70 72 69 68 (Molinari won sudden-death play-off at second hole).
281 C Benedetti (Col) 69 73 72 67, M Sims (Ber) 70 67 70 74.
283 B Adamonis (US) 72 69 72 70, G Clark (Eng) 69 70 75 69, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra)70 75 70 68, A Salto (Spa) 71 69 69 74.
284 A Ahokas (Fin) 72 67 71 74, S Fernandez (Arg) 67 73 75 69, I Giner (Spa) 70 73 77 64, M Tullo (Chile) 68 70 75 71, L Westerberg (Swe) 72 70 72 70.
FIRST WIN AS TOUR PRO
Rookie tour pro Edoardo Molinari, the 2005 US Amateur champion, claimed his first professional victory at the European Challenge Tour’s Club Colombia Masters after a thrilling final round at the Bogota Country Club ended with the 25-year-old Italian defeating home hero Gustavo Mendoza in a sudden-death play-off to take the Euros 21,690 first prize.
Molinari and Mendoza, playing together in the final round, enjoyed a tense and exciting battle for the title that was eventually settled at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off . They had tied on five-under-par 269 for the regulation 72 holes.
BACK-TO-BACK BIRDIES
The Colombian trailed Molinari by two strokes after 12 holes of the last round, but consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th, followed by a Molinari bogey at the 15th brought the players level as they approached the last three holes.
Molinari then hit back with a birdie on the 16th to resume the lead and looked set to be crowned champion when he put his approach to the 17th to just seven feet. At that point, Mendoza was fully 60 feet from the hole but the Colombian drained his birdie effort to reapply the pressure on his rival.
Molinari responded by holing out to retain his one-shot lead, but a final birdie from Mendoza at the last, after Molinari had lipped out for the title, forced the tournament into extra holes.
With the par-5 18th selected as the play-off hole, both men made their way back to the tee before making great up and downs for a pair of birdies. Molinari then kept his head to make another birdie, while Mendoza saw his challenge finally fade by finding the water with his approach to the green.
“This is incredible,” Molinari smiled. “It was quite a spectacular week. I’m very happy about this victory, because I worked hard for it during the winter. I’m going to enjoy it.”
LEADING TOTALS
Par 284 (4 x 71)
279 E Molinari (Ita) 69 69 72 69, G Mendoza (Col) 70 72 69 68 (Molinari won sudden-death play-off at second hole).
281 C Benedetti (Col) 69 73 72 67, M Sims (Ber) 70 67 70 74.
283 B Adamonis (US) 72 69 72 70, G Clark (Eng) 69 70 75 69, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra)70 75 70 68, A Salto (Spa) 71 69 69 74.
284 A Ahokas (Fin) 72 67 71 74, S Fernandez (Arg) 67 73 75 69, I Giner (Spa) 70 73 77 64, M Tullo (Chile) 68 70 75 71, L Westerberg (Swe) 72 70 72 70.
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Monday, February 05, 2007
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