Seve Benson wins again on Challenge Tour

From Paul Symes, European Challenge Tour Press Officer
England’s Seve Benson moved one step closer to The European Tour after securing his second Challenge Tour victory courtesy of a nail-biting play-off victory at the Ypsilon Golf Challenge by Alex Cejka.
In torrential rain at Ypsilon Golf Resort in Liberec, the Czech Republic, Benson compiled a battling round of 70 to finish on 16 under par 268, level with overnight leader Rafael Cabrera Bello of Spain and South Africa’s Branden Grace, whose seven-under-par round of 64 was quite astonishing in the circumstances.
After Grace had fallen at the second play-off hole, which both Benson and Cabrera Bello birdied, the Englishman saw off the Spaniard with another birdie on the third extra hole to take the title and claim a winner’s cheque for €28,800.
That saw him leapfrog compatriot David Horsey at the top of the Challenge Tour Rankings and, with only eight events of the season remaining, all but guaranteed the 21 year old a place on The European Tour next season.
Benson, whose maiden Challenge Tour victory came at the Piemonte Open, said: “I’m itching to get onto The European Tour now. It’d be great to win three times on the Challenge Tour and go straight onto the Tour, but if not then hopefully I’ll go there next season as the winner of the Challenge Tour. I’m absolutely over the moon.”
Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin finished one shot back in a tie for fourth with Portugal’s Ricardo Santos after three putting the final green for a costly bogey.
Greig Hutcheon was the only Scot to survive the halfway cut. A third-round 76 meant he had no hope of climbing up to a respectable finishing position although, to give the Aberdeenshire man his due, he did sign off with a 69, which was better than Seve Benson did in his fourth round! All things are relative.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4 x 71)
268 S Benson (Eng) 67 66 65 70; B Grace (RSA) 68 69 67 64; R Cabrera Bello (Esp) 67 64 65 72.
269 G Maybin (Nir) 66 66 67 70; R Santos (Por) 67 64 71 67.
270 R Coles (Eng) 68 67 68 67; M Korhonen (Fin) 66 68 70 66;
271 D Horsey (Eng) 68 68 67 68; R Bland (Eng) 67 65 67 72;
272 C Moriarty (Irl) 70 65 66 71; M Higley (Eng) 65 71 66 70; T Remkes (Ned) 67 69 70 66; L Gagli (Ita) 66 66 73 67.
273 J Morgan (Eng) 68 70 67 68; T Feyrsinger (Aut) 66 67 68 72; D Carter (Eng) 70 69 67 67; P Kaensche (Nor) 68 70 68 67; A Rocha (Bra) 66 68 72 67; A Ahokas (Fin) 67 69 67 70;
274 J Sjoholm (Swe) 68 68 71 67; J Makitalo (Fin) 71 63 69 71;
275 M Ruiz (Par) 71 68 69 67; A Marshall (Eng) 69 67 71 68; M Tullo (Chi) 69 68 69 69; A Snobeck (Fra) 68 65 67 75; A Gee (Eng) 67 69 71 68;
276 C Russo (Fra) 69 69 71 67; L Bond (Wal) 66 67 71 72; A Hansen (Den) 69 67 73 67; B Evans (Eng) 70 64 69 73; A Tadini (Ita) 71 67 71 67; S Alker (Nzl) 69 69 71 67; M Crespi (Ita) 69 69 70 68; D Wardrop (Eng) 69 69 69 69; M Cort (Eng) 65 72 67 72; J Clément (Sui) 65 73 69 69; I Van Weerelt (Ned) 71 67 69 69;
277 M Merizalde (Col) 67 72 71 67; M Soffietti (Ita) 67 70 69 71; T Karjalainen (Fin) 67 71 70 69; R McEvoy (Eng) 71 65 69 72; B Lecuona (Fra) 70 69 71 67; M Bothma (RSA) 67 69 69 72;
278 J Wahlqvist (Swe) 67 69 72 70; M Quiros (Esp) 71 65 68 74;
279 M Kempe (Ger) 70 68 75 66; M Hoey (Nir) 70 69 70 70; A Butterfield (Eng) 69 68 71 71;
280 P Dwyer (Eng) 66 69 71 74; R Treis (Ger) 67 71 72 70; R Steiner (Aut) 67 67 74 72; K Baraka (Ger) 70 63 75 72;
281 P Del Grosso (Arg) 70 69 71 71; B Wiesberger (Aut) 73 65 67 76;
282 M Dieu (Fra) 69 70 73 70; T Cruz (Por) 73 65 72 72; J Morrison (Eng) 67 69 71 75; A Salto (Esp) 67 72 69 74;
283 G Hutcheon (Sco) 70 68 76 69; B Mason (Eng) 70 67 73 73; S Davis (Eng) 71 68 69 75; M Rodriguez (Arg) 68 71 71 73;
284 J Little (Eng) 71 67 75 71; A Willey (Eng) 69 67 72 76;
285 J Quesne (Fra) 70 68 73 74;
286 C Cardeza (Arg) 70 64 73 79;
287 J Billot (Fra) 70 67 75 75;
289 M King (Eng) 65 73 72 79;