PABLO MARTIN RETAINS ALFRED DUNHILL CHAMPIONSHIP

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Pablo Martin overcame a back-nine blip to successfully defend his Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club, South Africa today.
Having gone five shots clear at the start of the back nine, the Spaniard saw his lead reduced to one after a triple bogey at the 17th.
But the former British boys champion (2001) held his nerve for a birdie at the last for a third European Tour title.
Martin's closing two under par 70 gave him an 11 under total and two-shot victory over South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Anthony Michael and Danish Challenge Tour graduate Thorbjorn Olesen.
It was 25 year old rookie Michael who started the day top of the leaderboard, but when Martin, pictured above, almost holed his approach to the first and tapped in for birdie then sank a 10ft eagle putt at the second it was all change.
Michael made his own birdie at the first, but parred the next and took two shots to get out of a greenside bunker on the third and bogeyed.
Martin holed 8ft putts for birdie on the seventh and ninth to turn in 30, although Michael had a birdie of his own on the eighth to maintain the pressure.
But the former professional baseball hopeful Michael snap-hooked his drive way left on the 11th and double bogeyed, leaving Martin five in front with seven to play.
It appeared all over at that point, but nerves crept into 24 year old Martin's game and he was lucky to escape from the par five 13th with par after a wretched approach left him perched on a wall to play his third shot out the bunker.
He dropped a shot at the 14th after hitting a three wood into the trees, before a penultimate hole he later described as "a big mess".
Having driven into sand, he then found his ball plugged in long grass, and despite a free drop needed four shots to find the green and three putts for a 7.
However, he banished any negative thought to nail a perfect drive down the middle of the 18th fairway and displayed nerves of steel to land a five wood in the heart of the water-surrounded green.
Michael then attempted to follow his playing partner, but his ball splashed in the drink - although he commendably salvaged par.
"I played really well on the front nine," said Martin. "I didn't get in too much trouble and I holed a couple of good putts.
"I got really lucky on 13, I've not been swinging that great the whole week. It's winner's luck I guess.
"Luckily I was able to hit some good shots coming in, especially on 18. I've been playing decent lately and I wanted to try my best and do as good as I can."
Martin claims €158,500 and for the second year running becomes the first leader of this season's Race to Dubai.
He is the first player to successfully defend a European Tour title since Padraig Harrington won the 2008 Open Championship, and also received a drenching from a bucket of water tipped over him by fellow Spaniards Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Alvaro Velasco.
“Normally, they throw people into ponds and stuff,” he said, “but I’m glad they restrained themselves today, because there are crocodiles around here.”
Olesen began his maiden European Tour campaign with a best-of-the-day 66, while Schwartzel finishes runner-up for the fourth time in the event he won in 2004 after a 70.
SCOTSWATCH. Dunbar's David Drysdale finished joint eighth with Robert Rock with on five-under-par 283 with four rounds that could hardly have been steadier - 70, 70, 72 and 71. He earned 23,100 Euros. Alan McLean, from Glasgow originally, earned 10,650 Euros for a share of 21st place on 287. A final round of 68 was his best of the four (earlier rounds 70-74-75). Glasgow Scott's Jamieson was in the top 10 with his score for the first 36 holes (71-68 for 139) but his second 36 holes was not in the same class, costing him 151 shots with rounds of 74 and 77. He dropped to a final standing of joint 30th and a pay cheque for 8,100 Euros which should have been a lot more. Still, the former Scottish boys' stroke-play champion and US college circuit player made the cut in his first European Tour outing since acquiring Premier League status and he will build on this performance.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72). Prizemoney in Euros
277 Pablo Martin (Spa) 69 70 68 70 (158,500).
279 Anthony Michael (Rsa) 66 69 71 73, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 70 69 70, Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) 71 68 74 66 (77,767 each).
281 Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 72 72 67 70 (41,300).
282 Alex Haindl (Rsa) 71 66 72 73, Robert Dinwiddie 69 72 71 70 (32,450 each).
283 David Drysdale 70 70 72 71, Robert Rock 67 70 75 71 (23,100 each).
284 Dawie Van Der Walt (Rsa) 67 70 70 77, James Kingston (Rsa) 69 71 77 67, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 72 69 71 72
285 Tjaart Van Der Walt (Rsa) 70 70 75 70, David Howell 72 68 74 71
286 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 73 72 71 70, Grant Muller (Rsa) 70 74 70 72, T C Charamba (Zim) 70 72 70 74, Phillip Price 70 75 68 73, Keith Horne (Rsa) 68 71 75 72, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 68 73 76 69
287 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 72 70 75 70, Alan McLean 70 74 75 68, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 68 78 72 69, Julien Quesne (Fra) 73 70 72 72, Marius Thorp (Nor) 67 71 77 72, Trevor Fisher junior (Rsa) 71 72 75 69 (10,650 each).
289 Floris De Vries (Ned) 73 72 74 70, Matt Ford 76 68 74 71, Sebastian Buhl (Ger) 67 74 75 73
290 Merrick Bremner (Rsa) 72 74 72 72, Gregory Molteni (Ita) 71 75 75 69, Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa) 74 71 74 71, Rikard Karlberg (Swe) 77 68 76 69, Scott Jamieson 71 68 74 77, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 73 72 72 73, Michael Hoey 74 72 72 72 (8,100 each).
291 Lee Slattery 71 73 73 74, Kyron Sullivan 72 72 72 75, Doug McGuigan 74 72 76 69, Darren Fichardt (Rsa) 74 72 72 73
292 Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 68 72 76 76, Neil Cheetham 71 68 77 76
293 Damien McGrane 72 73 73 75, Divan Van Den Heever (Rsa) 71 73 77 72, Julio Zapata (Arg) 70 71 76 76, Kenneth Ferrie 74 72 75 72, Bradford Vaughan (Rsa) 72 73 76 72, Christiaan Basson (Rsa) 75 70 74 74, Jean-Nicolas Billot (Fra) 71 72 78 72, Colin Nel (Rsa) 70 74 77 72
294 Garry Houston 76 70 78 70, Dale Whitnell 74 70 70 80, Jean Hugo (Rsa) 74 72 70 78, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 69 70 81 74, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 71 73 71 79, Seve Benson 72 72 72 78, Alex Cejka (Ger) 75 69 78 72
295 Desvonde Botes (Rsa) 73 73 75 74, Mark Laskey 73 69 80 73, Marcus Palm (Swe) 74 70 78 73
296 Justin Harding (Rsa) 74 71 80 71, Mark Brown (Nzl) 69 74 80 73
297 Jeremy Kavanagh 69 77 75 76, Johan du Buisson (Rsa) 71 75 81 70, Steven Jeppesen (Swe) 71 72 80 74
301 Anders Sjostrand (Swe) 70 74 77 80
304 Grant Jackson 78 68 78 80
305 David Dixon 74 72 81 78


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