FIRST OVER-50s WIN FOR ROCCA AS HE LANDS
THE AIB IRISH SENIORS OPEN TITLE
In case you missed the news - regrettably due to our communications black-out on Sunday -
Italian Ryder Cup star Costantino Rocca celebrated his first win as a Senior golfer when he closed with a final round of one under par 71 to capture the AIB Irish Seniors Open, in association with Greenstar and Fáilte Ireland, at the PGA National Ireland golf course.
Rocca, playing in only his third event on the European Seniors Tour, coped best in the rain-plagued final round thanks to a wonderful short game display for a winning 54-hole total of five- under-par 211.
England’s Kevin Spurgeon and Spain’s Juan Quiros shared second spot two strokes back after returning level par 72s, while overnight leader Stewart Ginn three-putted from six feet at the 16th for a 76 that left the Australian on two under par alongside American Doug Johnson.
After collecting the stunning Waterford crystal trophy and a winner’s cheque for €67,500, Rocca acknowledged that Ireland had been good to him.
The last of his five European Tour victories came at the West of Ireland Golf Classic in 1999, when he defeated Padraig Harrington by two shots at Galway Bay Golf & Country Club, and eight years later he was delighted to back in the winner’s enclosure on another Christy O’Connor junior-designed course at Palmerstown House.
“I am very pleased to win so early in my Seniors career and obviously it has been a long time since my last Tour victory. This tournament is very special. I love the people here in Ireland and they gave me good support,” said Rocca, who chipped in at the 11th and made a number of up and downs in his final round.
Ireland’s Adrian Morrow, on 10-over-par, collected the JB Carr Memorial Trophy for the leading amateur in the field. Coincidentally, Sunday marked the three-year anniversary of the death of Carr, recognised as the greatest Irish amateur golfer of his era and the first Irishman to be elected as captain of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72) PGA National Ireland
211 Costantino Rocca (Ita) 69 71 71
213 Juan Quiros (Esp) 73 68 72, Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 71 70 72
214 Doug Johnson (USA) 69 71 74, Stewart Ginn (Aus) 67 71 76
216 Sam Torrance (Sco) 71 74 71, Tony Allen (Eng) 73 72 71, David Merriman (Aus) 72 70 74, John Bland (SAf) 71 73 72, David Good (Aus) 73 71 72
217 Glenn Ralph (Eng) 73 74 70, Guillermo Encina (Chi) 72 73 72, Horacio Carbonetti (Arg) 71 73 73, Bob Cameron (Eng) 74 72 71
218 Ross Drummond (Sco) 74 74 70
219 Carl Mason (Eng) 73 73 73, José Rivero (Esp) 75 72 72, Delroy Cambridge (Jam) 77 70 72, Alan Tapie (US) 69 75 75, Peter O’Hagan (Ire) 72 71 76
220 Gordon J Brand (Eng) 70 79 71, Denis O’Sullivan (Ire) 74 73 73, Terry Gale (Aus) 73 73 74
221 Mike Clayton (Aus) 72 77 72, Tony Johnstone (Zim) 73 74 74, Giuseppe Cali (Ita) 75 72 74, Bobby Lincoln (SAf) 73 73 75
222 Bill Longmuir (Sco) 72 77 73, Tommy Horton (Eng) 75 74 73, Eamonn Darcy (Ire) 71 77 74, Gery Watine (Fra) 74 74 74, Angel Fernandez (Chi) 74 71 77
223 Peter Teravainen (US) 75 76 72, Jerry Bruner (US) 71 79 73, Adan Sowa (Arg) 72 78 73
224 Jeff Hawkes (SAf) 74 81 69, Jimmy Heggarty (NIr) 72 78 74, Nick Job (Eng) 73 74 77, Luis Carbonetti (Arg) 73 74 77, Gavan Levenson (SAf) 68 75 81
225 Mike Miller (Sco) 73 77 75
226 Adrian Morrow (Ire) (am) 74 78 74, Denis Durnian (Eng) 77 74 75, John Chillas (Sco) 71 77 78, Simon Owen (NZ) 75 73 78
227 Martin Gray (Sco) 74 72 81, Jim Rhodes (Eng) 75 78 74, Pete Oakley (US) 71 79 77
228 Ian Mosey (Eng) 73 80 75, Bruce Heuchan (Can) 73 80 75, Tony Charnley (Eng) 76 77 75, Bertus Smit (RSA) 76 75 77
229 Noel Ratcliffe (Aus) 75 79 75, Mike Ferguson (Aus) 79 74 76, Ray Carrasco (USA) 73 78 78
230 Tim Rastall (Eng) 75 80 75, Manuel Piñero (Esp) 74 78 78, David Creamer (Eng) 71 80 79, Bill Malley (US) 72 79 79
231 Bob Larratt (Eng) 76 77 78, Paul Leonard (NIr) 72 80 79
232 Jim Lapsley (NZ) 78 77 77, Liam Higgins (Ire) 74 77 81, Emilio Rodriguez (Spa) 75 76 81
233 John Mashego (SAf) 76 79 78
234 Bob Shearer (Aus) 80 78 76,
235 Martin Poxon (Eng) 79 79 77, Victor Garcia (Spa) 79 74 82
236 David J Russell (Eng) 74 81 81, Steve Martin (Sco) 75 78 83, Philippe Dugeny (Fra) 73 78 85
237 Antonio Garrido (Esp) 73 84 80
239 Maurice Bembridge (Eng) 77 76 86
240 Liam MacNamara (Ire) (am) 77 79 84
245 Dermot W Morris (Ire) (am) 89 79 77
John Benda (USA) DQ
THE AIB IRISH SENIORS OPEN TITLE
In case you missed the news - regrettably due to our communications black-out on Sunday -
Italian Ryder Cup star Costantino Rocca celebrated his first win as a Senior golfer when he closed with a final round of one under par 71 to capture the AIB Irish Seniors Open, in association with Greenstar and Fáilte Ireland, at the PGA National Ireland golf course.
Rocca, playing in only his third event on the European Seniors Tour, coped best in the rain-plagued final round thanks to a wonderful short game display for a winning 54-hole total of five- under-par 211.
England’s Kevin Spurgeon and Spain’s Juan Quiros shared second spot two strokes back after returning level par 72s, while overnight leader Stewart Ginn three-putted from six feet at the 16th for a 76 that left the Australian on two under par alongside American Doug Johnson.
After collecting the stunning Waterford crystal trophy and a winner’s cheque for €67,500, Rocca acknowledged that Ireland had been good to him.
The last of his five European Tour victories came at the West of Ireland Golf Classic in 1999, when he defeated Padraig Harrington by two shots at Galway Bay Golf & Country Club, and eight years later he was delighted to back in the winner’s enclosure on another Christy O’Connor junior-designed course at Palmerstown House.
“I am very pleased to win so early in my Seniors career and obviously it has been a long time since my last Tour victory. This tournament is very special. I love the people here in Ireland and they gave me good support,” said Rocca, who chipped in at the 11th and made a number of up and downs in his final round.
Ireland’s Adrian Morrow, on 10-over-par, collected the JB Carr Memorial Trophy for the leading amateur in the field. Coincidentally, Sunday marked the three-year anniversary of the death of Carr, recognised as the greatest Irish amateur golfer of his era and the first Irishman to be elected as captain of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3 x 72) PGA National Ireland
211 Costantino Rocca (Ita) 69 71 71
213 Juan Quiros (Esp) 73 68 72, Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 71 70 72
214 Doug Johnson (USA) 69 71 74, Stewart Ginn (Aus) 67 71 76
216 Sam Torrance (Sco) 71 74 71, Tony Allen (Eng) 73 72 71, David Merriman (Aus) 72 70 74, John Bland (SAf) 71 73 72, David Good (Aus) 73 71 72
217 Glenn Ralph (Eng) 73 74 70, Guillermo Encina (Chi) 72 73 72, Horacio Carbonetti (Arg) 71 73 73, Bob Cameron (Eng) 74 72 71
218 Ross Drummond (Sco) 74 74 70
219 Carl Mason (Eng) 73 73 73, José Rivero (Esp) 75 72 72, Delroy Cambridge (Jam) 77 70 72, Alan Tapie (US) 69 75 75, Peter O’Hagan (Ire) 72 71 76
220 Gordon J Brand (Eng) 70 79 71, Denis O’Sullivan (Ire) 74 73 73, Terry Gale (Aus) 73 73 74
221 Mike Clayton (Aus) 72 77 72, Tony Johnstone (Zim) 73 74 74, Giuseppe Cali (Ita) 75 72 74, Bobby Lincoln (SAf) 73 73 75
222 Bill Longmuir (Sco) 72 77 73, Tommy Horton (Eng) 75 74 73, Eamonn Darcy (Ire) 71 77 74, Gery Watine (Fra) 74 74 74, Angel Fernandez (Chi) 74 71 77
223 Peter Teravainen (US) 75 76 72, Jerry Bruner (US) 71 79 73, Adan Sowa (Arg) 72 78 73
224 Jeff Hawkes (SAf) 74 81 69, Jimmy Heggarty (NIr) 72 78 74, Nick Job (Eng) 73 74 77, Luis Carbonetti (Arg) 73 74 77, Gavan Levenson (SAf) 68 75 81
225 Mike Miller (Sco) 73 77 75
226 Adrian Morrow (Ire) (am) 74 78 74, Denis Durnian (Eng) 77 74 75, John Chillas (Sco) 71 77 78, Simon Owen (NZ) 75 73 78
227 Martin Gray (Sco) 74 72 81, Jim Rhodes (Eng) 75 78 74, Pete Oakley (US) 71 79 77
228 Ian Mosey (Eng) 73 80 75, Bruce Heuchan (Can) 73 80 75, Tony Charnley (Eng) 76 77 75, Bertus Smit (RSA) 76 75 77
229 Noel Ratcliffe (Aus) 75 79 75, Mike Ferguson (Aus) 79 74 76, Ray Carrasco (USA) 73 78 78
230 Tim Rastall (Eng) 75 80 75, Manuel Piñero (Esp) 74 78 78, David Creamer (Eng) 71 80 79, Bill Malley (US) 72 79 79
231 Bob Larratt (Eng) 76 77 78, Paul Leonard (NIr) 72 80 79
232 Jim Lapsley (NZ) 78 77 77, Liam Higgins (Ire) 74 77 81, Emilio Rodriguez (Spa) 75 76 81
233 John Mashego (SAf) 76 79 78
234 Bob Shearer (Aus) 80 78 76,
235 Martin Poxon (Eng) 79 79 77, Victor Garcia (Spa) 79 74 82
236 David J Russell (Eng) 74 81 81, Steve Martin (Sco) 75 78 83, Philippe Dugeny (Fra) 73 78 85
237 Antonio Garrido (Esp) 73 84 80
239 Maurice Bembridge (Eng) 77 76 86
240 Liam MacNamara (Ire) (am) 77 79 84
245 Dermot W Morris (Ire) (am) 89 79 77
John Benda (USA) DQ
Labels: Pro seniors
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Tuesday, June 05, 2007
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home