ITALY WIN WORLD CUP ... SCOTLAND
FINISH LAST OF 28 IN CHINA
Italy's Molinari brothers won the World Cup of Golf in a tight finish with long-time leaders Ireland and defending champions Sweden at Mission Hills, China today.
Scotland, represented by David Drysdale and Alastair Forsyth, finished last of the 28 countries after a nightmare final foursomes round of 78 with halves of 37 and 41.
Spain, with Sergio Garcia and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in harness, astonishingly finished second last on 281.
ITALY CREATE HISTORY BY WINNING THE
OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP
By MICHAEL GIBBSONS, Deputy Chief Press Officer, European Tour
Italy created golfing history by winning the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for the first time after a thrilling final round battle with Ireland and Sweden came down to the 72nd hole, where the Molinari brothers combined perfectly to get up and down from a greenside bunker to take the title by a single stroke.
Standing on the last tee on the Olazábal Course with a one stroke lead over playing partners Ireland and Sweden who were approaching the 18th green, Franceso fired a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway to set up Italy’s victory charge.
With Edoardo standing over his approach shot to the green, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson watched in agony as his 45ft birdie putt to tie the Italians lipped out, leaving Italy needing a par four to create history – providing Ireland did not make birdie.
Edoardo pushed his approach into the bunker before Rory McIlroy gave Ireland one last chance, but Graeme McDowell could only watch on as his birdie attempt stayed above ground giving Italy their chance to make history.
“It’s been a tough day and we have been playing against some of the best golfers in the world. It was really tough until the last, but it feels even better when it is like that,” said Francesco
“It’s really great for Italy. I think we deserved it as we attacked from the first day with every putt and every shot and we tried to make as many birdies as possible.
“I was lucky to hole two big putts on 12 and 13 which were probably the key moment and we just had to hang in there and hope for the best.”
Edoardo, the European Challenge Tour No 1 and winner of last week’s Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, echoed his brother’s joy, adding: “It was a very sweet feeling after holing the putt. When I saw the bull in the bunker, it was lying okay, and I just said, ‘Francesco, just knock it on the green anywhere, and I'm going to hole the putt.’
“It was I think a great way to finish, to win by one shot against some really good teams like Ireland and Sweden. I mean, all of the players involved in the other teams were Ryder Cup players, so I think we probably had not realised what we have done today. But I think it's going to be pretty good coming back home.”
Irish duo McIlroy and McDowell had stretched their overnight lead to three shots on the front nine, but failed to further advance their score on the way home and a final round two under 70 was not enough to secure what would have been a wire-to-wire victory.
Sweden produced a gallant title defence as World No 7 Stenson and Karlsson, who was beaten in a play-off by Edoardo last week in Japan, carded a final round three under par 69.
England finished fourth at 26 under par as an impressive bogey-free eight under 64 came just too late for Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.
Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada claimed fifth for Japan a further four shots back after a 69 with Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby earning sixth for Australia.
South Africa, Wales, Y E Yang’s Korea, Martin Kaymer’s Germany and USA, who shot a brilliant bogey-free final round ten under par 62, rounded out the top ten at 20 under par.
But the day belonged to Italy who put their names in the history books with a brilliant performance.
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE:
Italy won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup by one shot from Ireland and Sweden as brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari carded a four under par 68 in today’s final round foursomes.
Younger brother Francesco crucially holed three consecutive birdie putts on the back nine before European Challenge Tour Number One Edoardo tapped home at the last to follow up last week’s win in Japan as Italy won a first World Cup at 29 under par.
Irish duo Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell had stretched their overnight lead to three shots on the front nine, but failed to pick up a shot on the way home and a final round of two under 70 was not enough to secure what would have been a a wire-to-wire victory.
Sweden produced a gallant title defence as World Number Seven Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, who was beaten in a play-off by Edoardo last week in Japan, carded a final round three under par 69.
England finished fourth at 26 under par as an impressive bogey-free eight under 64 came just too late for Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.
Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada claimed fifth for Japan a further four shots back after a 69 with Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby earning sixth for Australia.
South Africa, Wales, Y E Yang’s Korea, Martin Kaymer’s Germany and USA, who shot a brilliant bogey-free final round ten under par 62, rounded out the top ten at 20 under par.
Italy held a one shot lead over Ireland as the final group came down the 18th and Francesco then found the middle of the fairway at the 460 yard par four, while McDowell found rough for the first time in the final round foursomes.
But World No 10 McIlroy managed to put his approach to 15 feet and Edoardo shanked his effort into one of the deep bunkers that are so prominent around the Olazábal course at Mission Hills.
A further twist was provided when younger brother Francesco got Challenge Tour No 1 Edoardo out of trouble, splashing out to within three feet.
McDowell left his birdie putt agonisingly short - it was almost certainly on the right line - and Edoardo atoned for his approach by holing the straightforward putt.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
259 ITALY (Edoardo and Francesco Molinari) 64 66 61 68.
260 IRELAND (Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell) 58 68 64 70, SWEDEN (Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson) 64 65 62 69.
262 ENGLAND (Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher) 66 69 63 64.
266 JAPAN (Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada) 62 71 64 69.
267 AUSTRALIA (Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby) 68 70 62 67.
268 WALES (Stephen Dodd and Jamie Donaldson) 66 68 64 70, GERMANY (Alex Cejka and Martin Kaymer), 66 71 66 65, SOUTH KOREA (Charlie Wi and Yang-Yong Eun) 64 75 61 68, SOUTH AFRICA (Rory Sabbatini and Richard Sterne) 65 70 62 71, UNITED STATES (Nick Watney and John Merrick) 67 72 67 62.
271 CHILE (Hugo Leon and Martin Ureta) 69 67 65 70, VENEZUELA (Alfredo Adrian and Jhonattan Vegas) 67 67 65 72.
272 DENMARK (Soren Kjeldsen and Soren Hansen) 66 70 66 70, INDIA (Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milka Singh) 67 68 65 72.
273 PHILIPPINES (Mars Pucay and Angelo Que) 68 72 64 69, SINGAPORE (Lam Chi Bing and Mardan Mamat) 66 70 66 71, THAILAND (Prayad Marksaeng and Thongchai Jaidee) 67 70 67 69.
274 ARGENTINA (Tana Goya and Rafael Echenique) 61 75 64 74.
276 FRANCE (Christian Cevaer and Thomas Levet) 67 73 67 69, NEW ZEALAND (Danny Lee and David Smail) 67 68 70 71.
277 CHINA (Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong) 65 71 68 73, CHINESE TAIPEI 67 74 67 69, PAKISTAN (Muhammad Munir and Muhammad Shabbir) 69 75 64 69.
279 CANADA (Graham Delaet and Stuart Anderson) 64 74 65 76.
280 BRAZIL (Rafael Barcellos and Ronaldo Francisco) 68 75 68 69.
281 SPAIN (Sergio Garcia and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano) 69 71 67 74.
284 SCOTLAND (David Drysdale and Alastair Forsyth) 69 73 64 78.
FINISH LAST OF 28 IN CHINA
Italy's Molinari brothers won the World Cup of Golf in a tight finish with long-time leaders Ireland and defending champions Sweden at Mission Hills, China today.
Scotland, represented by David Drysdale and Alastair Forsyth, finished last of the 28 countries after a nightmare final foursomes round of 78 with halves of 37 and 41.
Spain, with Sergio Garcia and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in harness, astonishingly finished second last on 281.
ITALY CREATE HISTORY BY WINNING THE
OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP
By MICHAEL GIBBSONS, Deputy Chief Press Officer, European Tour
Italy created golfing history by winning the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for the first time after a thrilling final round battle with Ireland and Sweden came down to the 72nd hole, where the Molinari brothers combined perfectly to get up and down from a greenside bunker to take the title by a single stroke.
Standing on the last tee on the Olazábal Course with a one stroke lead over playing partners Ireland and Sweden who were approaching the 18th green, Franceso fired a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway to set up Italy’s victory charge.
With Edoardo standing over his approach shot to the green, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson watched in agony as his 45ft birdie putt to tie the Italians lipped out, leaving Italy needing a par four to create history – providing Ireland did not make birdie.
Edoardo pushed his approach into the bunker before Rory McIlroy gave Ireland one last chance, but Graeme McDowell could only watch on as his birdie attempt stayed above ground giving Italy their chance to make history.
“It’s been a tough day and we have been playing against some of the best golfers in the world. It was really tough until the last, but it feels even better when it is like that,” said Francesco
“It’s really great for Italy. I think we deserved it as we attacked from the first day with every putt and every shot and we tried to make as many birdies as possible.
“I was lucky to hole two big putts on 12 and 13 which were probably the key moment and we just had to hang in there and hope for the best.”
Edoardo, the European Challenge Tour No 1 and winner of last week’s Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, echoed his brother’s joy, adding: “It was a very sweet feeling after holing the putt. When I saw the bull in the bunker, it was lying okay, and I just said, ‘Francesco, just knock it on the green anywhere, and I'm going to hole the putt.’
“It was I think a great way to finish, to win by one shot against some really good teams like Ireland and Sweden. I mean, all of the players involved in the other teams were Ryder Cup players, so I think we probably had not realised what we have done today. But I think it's going to be pretty good coming back home.”
Irish duo McIlroy and McDowell had stretched their overnight lead to three shots on the front nine, but failed to further advance their score on the way home and a final round two under 70 was not enough to secure what would have been a wire-to-wire victory.
Sweden produced a gallant title defence as World No 7 Stenson and Karlsson, who was beaten in a play-off by Edoardo last week in Japan, carded a final round three under par 69.
England finished fourth at 26 under par as an impressive bogey-free eight under 64 came just too late for Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.
Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada claimed fifth for Japan a further four shots back after a 69 with Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby earning sixth for Australia.
South Africa, Wales, Y E Yang’s Korea, Martin Kaymer’s Germany and USA, who shot a brilliant bogey-free final round ten under par 62, rounded out the top ten at 20 under par.
But the day belonged to Italy who put their names in the history books with a brilliant performance.
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE:
Italy won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup by one shot from Ireland and Sweden as brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari carded a four under par 68 in today’s final round foursomes.
Younger brother Francesco crucially holed three consecutive birdie putts on the back nine before European Challenge Tour Number One Edoardo tapped home at the last to follow up last week’s win in Japan as Italy won a first World Cup at 29 under par.
Irish duo Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell had stretched their overnight lead to three shots on the front nine, but failed to pick up a shot on the way home and a final round of two under 70 was not enough to secure what would have been a a wire-to-wire victory.
Sweden produced a gallant title defence as World Number Seven Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, who was beaten in a play-off by Edoardo last week in Japan, carded a final round three under par 69.
England finished fourth at 26 under par as an impressive bogey-free eight under 64 came just too late for Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.
Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada claimed fifth for Japan a further four shots back after a 69 with Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby earning sixth for Australia.
South Africa, Wales, Y E Yang’s Korea, Martin Kaymer’s Germany and USA, who shot a brilliant bogey-free final round ten under par 62, rounded out the top ten at 20 under par.
Italy held a one shot lead over Ireland as the final group came down the 18th and Francesco then found the middle of the fairway at the 460 yard par four, while McDowell found rough for the first time in the final round foursomes.
But World No 10 McIlroy managed to put his approach to 15 feet and Edoardo shanked his effort into one of the deep bunkers that are so prominent around the Olazábal course at Mission Hills.
A further twist was provided when younger brother Francesco got Challenge Tour No 1 Edoardo out of trouble, splashing out to within three feet.
McDowell left his birdie putt agonisingly short - it was almost certainly on the right line - and Edoardo atoned for his approach by holing the straightforward putt.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
259 ITALY (Edoardo and Francesco Molinari) 64 66 61 68.
260 IRELAND (Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell) 58 68 64 70, SWEDEN (Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson) 64 65 62 69.
262 ENGLAND (Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher) 66 69 63 64.
266 JAPAN (Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada) 62 71 64 69.
267 AUSTRALIA (Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby) 68 70 62 67.
268 WALES (Stephen Dodd and Jamie Donaldson) 66 68 64 70, GERMANY (Alex Cejka and Martin Kaymer), 66 71 66 65, SOUTH KOREA (Charlie Wi and Yang-Yong Eun) 64 75 61 68, SOUTH AFRICA (Rory Sabbatini and Richard Sterne) 65 70 62 71, UNITED STATES (Nick Watney and John Merrick) 67 72 67 62.
271 CHILE (Hugo Leon and Martin Ureta) 69 67 65 70, VENEZUELA (Alfredo Adrian and Jhonattan Vegas) 67 67 65 72.
272 DENMARK (Soren Kjeldsen and Soren Hansen) 66 70 66 70, INDIA (Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milka Singh) 67 68 65 72.
273 PHILIPPINES (Mars Pucay and Angelo Que) 68 72 64 69, SINGAPORE (Lam Chi Bing and Mardan Mamat) 66 70 66 71, THAILAND (Prayad Marksaeng and Thongchai Jaidee) 67 70 67 69.
274 ARGENTINA (Tana Goya and Rafael Echenique) 61 75 64 74.
276 FRANCE (Christian Cevaer and Thomas Levet) 67 73 67 69, NEW ZEALAND (Danny Lee and David Smail) 67 68 70 71.
277 CHINA (Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong) 65 71 68 73, CHINESE TAIPEI 67 74 67 69, PAKISTAN (Muhammad Munir and Muhammad Shabbir) 69 75 64 69.
279 CANADA (Graham Delaet and Stuart Anderson) 64 74 65 76.
280 BRAZIL (Rafael Barcellos and Ronaldo Francisco) 68 75 68 69.
281 SPAIN (Sergio Garcia and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano) 69 71 67 74.
284 SCOTLAND (David Drysdale and Alastair Forsyth) 69 73 64 78.
Labels: Pro Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Sunday, November 29, 2009
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