RICHIE RAMSAY RUNNER-UP TO WIESBERGER IN BALLAINTINE'S CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR
Bernd Wiesberger sealed a dominant maiden European Tour victory in style at the Ballantine’s Championship, holing a 20 foot birdie on the final hole to finish five shots clear of Aberdonian Richie Ramsay at Blackstone Golf Club.
The Austrian closed with a nerveless round of 68 to consolidate his overnight advantage and never looked like relinquishing his stranglehold on the €2.2million event in Korea, producing a faultless display of front running.
Wiesberger won 367,500 Euros; Ramsay 245,000 Euros (£199,660)
A two-time runner up on The European Tour in 2011, Wiesberger had played himself into pole position for his first victory with consecutive flawless rounds of 65 on Friday and Saturday, and he was steady rather than spectacular on the front nine with his only birdie on the par five fifth.
Scot Ramsay, who closed with an impressive 65 to claim second place, put some pressure on the 26 year old, reducing the gap to three shots with a birdie on the 16^th, but Wiesberger stepped up another gear on the way in and picked up shots himself on the 15^th and 16^th holes before a memorable birdie on the last hole signed off a week he will never forget.
“I can't say I wasn't nervous on the first tee box, but when I got the first shot out there on the fairway, it was a bit of a relief,” he said.
“I was under a bit of pressure when I had to hang in there on 13 and 14, and I was able to make a couple of good shots, and great putts, and I was pleased to finish the way I did.
“That long putt on the last and the celebration reflects the last four days which were awesome, and I really enjoyed it out there today.
“I felt comfortable out there. I thought I just had to do what I did the last couple of days, hit those greens and make two putts, and make a couple of birdies. It was key for me to do that and I hung in there. I was very proud of how I finished the round up.”
The two-time European Challenge Tour winner, who finished on 18 under par 270, did not drop a shot for the final 59 holes of the tournament following his double bogey on the 13th hole on Thursday. He became the third Austrian to win on The European Tour following Markus Brier and Martin Wiegele.
“Every sportsman dreams about winning, especially a tournament that was so well organised and has such great players in the field,” he said. “To play the way I did this week is very special.”
Ramsay, winner of the South African Open in 2010, carded seven birdies to finish on 13 under par 275, with Frenchman Victor Dubuisson (66) and Australian Marcus Fraser (70) two shots further back on 11 under par 277.
Whilst disappointed he could put more pressure on his playing partner, 2010 Ballantine’s Championship winner Fraser was full of admiration for the performance of Wiesberger who he believes has a big future in the game.
“I said to him get used to that because you're going to do that quite a bit,” he said. “He's as impressive a golfer as I've ever seen. If he keeps working on the right things and doing what he's doing, he's obviously got a great support team around him and he can go onto do whatever he wants.
“He's got so much in his game. A guy that size and who hits it that far and still putts unbelievably, you don't see that too often. He's got massive things ahead of him and I wish him all the best. He's an absolute gentleman on the course. It was great fun being out there and watching it.”
Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez (69) finished tied fifth on ten under par 278, along with Englishman Anthony Wall who eagled the last for a 67.
Australian Adam Scott, the World Number 12, finished tied 12^th after closing with a 65 for an eight under par total of 280, surging up the leaderboard in similar fashion to his move on the Sunday of the Masters Tournament earlier this month.
“The game is right there,” he said. “I had three really good rounds this week, and I was away with the fairies on Friday.
“It's all there. I'm very confident with where my game is at, and I saw it there at the Masters. It came through on the weekend and it's come through here. It's soon going to be putting me in position for four good rounds.”
YE Yang, the 2009 US PGA Champion, finished as the leading Korean player after birdieing the final two holes for a 70. He ended the tournament in a five-way share of 15^th place on seven under par 281, alongside, amongst others, Ryder Cup player Ian Poulter on seven under par 281
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Prize money in Euros
270 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 72 65 65 68 (367,500)
275 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 70 72 68 65 (199,660)
277 Victor Dubuisson (France) 68 75 68 66, Marcus Fraser (Australia) 71 67 69 70 (124,142 each)/

OTHER SCOTS' TOTALS
288 Scott Jamieson 76 678 73 71 (T49) (9,482)
289 Peter Whiteford 71 74 76 68 (T54( 7,186)
290 Marc Warren 76 72 69 73 (60th) (6,174)

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PABLO LARRAZABAL WINS PEUGEOT ALPS DE BARCELONA EVENT

Spain's Pablo Larrazabal won the Peugeot + Alps Tour de Barcelona with a 16 under par final total.
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SEVE'S AMATEUR SON JAVIER HELD HIS OWN AMONG THE PROS

 FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By OLIVER BROWN

 

With impeccable poise and a heartfelt dedication to his late father, Javier Ballesteros on Sunday completed his remarkable debut in a professional event with a final-round 68 to finish tied for 12th at the Peugeot Alps de Barcelona.

 Sant Cugat, the same course where the great Seve had taken his bow in the paid ranks in 1974, heightened a symbolic occasion for his family.

The 21-year-old Javier, Ballesteros’s eldest son, was consistently impressive throughout rounds of 65, 73 and 68, which left him at four under par, 12 behind winner Pablo Larrazábal. His position, remarkably, was higher even than Seve had managed 38 years ago, when the five-time major winner came 20th at the

Spanish Professional Championship and later broke down in tears in the locker room, having failed to register the victory he had expected.

After his opening 65, Javier said on Twitter: “I dedicate it to my father. I think he would be happy.” While Javier holds a handicap of 0.4, his time for practice is limited by his

continued studies in law at Madrid’s Complutense University. He has yet to decide whether to pursue a career as a professional, maintaining that he will first finish his education on the advice of his parents.  

“My mother and father always supported me to play golf, but both always told me that studies come first,” he explained. “With every day that passes I enjoy golf more, but I do not plan challenges or set goals. For now I enjoy, have fun.”
His father, who died of a brain tumour last May, had described his ambition for Javier to The Daily Telegraph in his final newspaper interview in July 2010: “If he wants to be a professional golfer, he will have my support, but I want for him is to have a solid education.”
Javier, who had not realised the Sant Cugat connection to Seve when he signed up for the event on the Alps Tour, said: “I have always played golf. I was on the national team between the ages of 14 and 16, and being surrounded by golf at home always made me think about being a pro in the future. But it’s not just a case of turning professional as soon as I leave college. We will see what happens.”
But his top-15 finish in the company of Larrazábal, a professional of eight years’ experience, was a promising indication that he could carve out a career in the game.
The Alps Tour constitutes the third tier of European Golf, below the European Tour and Challenge Tour.
Larrazábal said: “Javier has started very strongly — he is close to competing with us very soon. He has the makings of a great player.”

US NATIONWIDE TOUR: South Georgia Classic report and scores

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