FRENCHMAN QUESNE BIRDIES FOUR OF LAST FIVE TO WIN IN SPAIN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Julien Quesne produced the round of his life on the final day of the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol and with it walked away with the €166,660 winner’s prize this afternoon in southern Spain.=
The 31 year old Frenchman, who graduated from last season’s Challenge Tour, had never before won more than the €22,464 he took home for finishing 17th at last month’s Avantha Masters in a European Tour event.
But an eight under par 64 – matching the Aloha course record – took him to 17 under par and neither Matteo Manassero nor Eduardo De La Riva could catch him.
“It’s the best day of my life,” said Quesne, after becoming the 400th different European Tour winner.
"It’s not easy because you have Matteo Manassero, Miguel [Angel Jiménez], Pablo Larrazábal, they all played good so I just tried to play shot after shot and do my best.
“I knew that if I holed the putt at the last I’d have a good chance.
“I’m very happy. It’s very quick for me to win this year."
Quesne birdied four of the last five holes, his magnificent approach to the difficult 18th leaving him a five foot putt which he nervelessly holed.
The two-time Challenge Tour winner, never previously higher than 16th in a European Tour event and 322nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, finished two clear of Italian teenager Manassero, with De La Riva a shot further back in third after bogeying the last.
Quesne birdied both par 5s on the front nine, and rolled in mid-range birdie putts at the eighth and ninth to turn in 32.
After five consecutive pars he sank a 12 footer at the 14th to spark his decisive run, rolling in a 15 footer at the 15th and two-putting from 60 feet at the long 16th before producing one of the shots of the week into the final green.Manassero and De La Riva were both 15 under at that stage, but neither could force a play-off over the difficult closing holes.
Manassero eventually signed for a 68, while overnight leader De La Riva went round in 70 to match his previous best European Tour finish of third.
England’s David Lynn failed to build on a 30 foot eagle at the fifth as he finished fourth, one ahead of South African Hennie Otto and Quesne’s compatriot Raphaël Jacquelin.
Jacquelin led for much of the afternoon after four straight birdies on the front nine – the highlight a 40 foot putt on the fourth – but a wild second to the 12th led to consecutive bogeys as his challenge faltered.
Tournament host Jiménez, aiming to become the oldest winner in European Tour history, finished in a share of seventh after a 71.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72). Prizemoney in Euros
271 Julien Quesne (France) 68 72 67 64 (166,660)
273 Matteo Manassero (Italy) 64 73 68 68 (111,110).
275 David Lynn (England)70 68 68 69 (50,000).
276 Raphael Jacquelin (France) 70 68 69 69, Hennie Otto (S Africa) 67 71 68 70 (38,700 each).
277 Mark Foster (England) 69 70 69 69, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 69 68 69 71, Shane Lowry (Ireland) 71 72 67 67, Jaco Van Zul (S Africa) 69 71 71 66 (24,300 each).

SCOTS' FINAL TOTALS
283 Richie Ramsay 72 71 71 69 (7,111)
285 Alastair Forsyth 71 70 71 73 (4,700)
286 Stephen Galacher 75 69 71 71, George Murray 71 72 71 71, Gary Orr 71 73 70 72 (3,438 each).
288 David Drysdale 71 71 73 73 (2,700).
290 Marc Warren 74 70 70 76 (2,250).

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