Sunday, September 16, 2012

FERNANDEZ-CASTANO WIN CONSOLATION FOR RYDER CUP ABSENCE

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño held off the challenge of Garth Mulroy to win the BMW Italian Open presented by CartaSi by two shots.
The final pairing were neck-and-neck for much of the final round, but Mulroy’s 5-5 finish ultimately proved decisive at Royal Park I Roveri as Fernandez-Castaño finished with an eight under par 64 for a 24 under par total.
The result was the perfect boost for the 31 year old after he narrowly failed to qualify for José María Olazábal’s Ryder Cup Team.
"Not making the Ryder Cup was disappointing,” he said. “I had a victory, two second-placed finishes and one third, and it hasn't been good enough. It's tough.
"You have to play well in the big events, and that's what I didn't do this year unfortunately. I have talked to Olly about The Ryder Cup many, many times. I can laugh about it now, but it hasn't been easy.
"I just needed to believe in myself and put The Ryder Cup out of my head, which I've done this week. I changed my schedule a little - I normally travel on a Tuesday but I arrived here on Wednesday, mainly because I wanted to see the kids start school.
"It was a completely different frame of mind for the week. I didn't know the course, so everything was new to me. I just followed my caddie's instructions and it worked. The main thing was my attitude. I didn't get to frustrated out there or try too hard. I just let it happen.”
Fernandez-Castaño birdied the first to draw level but when Mulroy birdied the fourth and fifth the Spaniard was two behind.
Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts briefly took over the lead, holing a four foot eagle putt after a magnificent approach to the par five eighth as South African Mulroy bogeyed the sixth.
While Colsaerts stumbled on the back nine it became a two-horse race - Fernandez-Castaño birdieing four holes in a row around the turn to take the lead with Mulroy’s gains at the eighth and tenth keeping him one behind.
Mulroy holed birdie putts of between ten and 20 feet at the 12th, 13th and 14th, and when Fernandez-Castaño only followed the first two in the pair were level again and seemed to be heading for a play-off.
However, the contest turned decisively when Mulroy’s approach to the 17th landed on the downslope in a greenside bunker and he could only chip out to the fringe on the far side.
Fernandez-Castaño parred to go one ahead, then birdied the par five last as Mulroy found more trouble in the sand with his second.
It was Fernandez-Castaño’s sixth European Tour victory, and afterwards he was delighted to have overcome his resilient challenger.
“It felt like match play out there and I'm delighted to have come out on top,” said the 2007 winner. “It feels very special to win this tournament again.
"I thought maybe 22 under par would have been good enough, but the way Garth and I were playing it was crazy. We kept holing putt after putt and it had a match play feel, which was fun. I have to congratulate him because he has played great. We had a great battle.”

Mulroy’s 67 was enough to finish two shots clear in second, with Gregory Bourdy and home favourite Matteo Manassero sharing third after matching 65s.
"I played well, but Gonzo's putter was a little hot for me today,” said Mulroy. “We were making birdie after birdie and it was fun. The 17th got me in the end there, but I'm happy and I played well.
"He went through a seven hole stretch where he made six birdies. It forces the other player to make birdies too. The last two days have been very fun.”

Colsaerts finished in a share of fifth with Medinah-bound teammate Martin Kaymer, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal and England’s Gary Boyd - who produced the shot of the day when he holed his six iron second to the eighth for an albatross.
“I feel pretty good,” said Colsaerts. “I had a fantastic start which was just what I wanted - to go deep under par after only a few holes. Two bad swings broke my momentum, and on a course like this where everyone makes birdies everywhere, momentum is very important and it feels like you're losing ground. But I finished well again, which was what I wanted.
"It helps being able to go through the week in a very cool, calm way, without thinking about qualifying for The Ryder Cup. My goal was to play these two events and to keep going, keep playing and keep the good dynamic I've had all year.
"I wish I could've done a little better here, but it's fulfilled the goal of continuing to play well before going to Medinah. I have a lot of good vibes."
Boyd’s spectacular round of 63 propels him into the top 115 on The Race to Dubai, and serves as a timely boost to his hopes of keeping his card.
"That's probably the best I've ever played in my career,” he said. “It was a nice start and then I really got the round going with an albatross at the eighth. At that point I was thinking that maybe I was back in the tournament with a chance to win.
"There's a lot of pressure at this time of year and to have practically got over the line this week, with still a few tournaments to go, is a good feeling."


LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
264 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain) 68 65 67 64 (250,000 Euros).
266 Garth Mulroy (South Africa) 66 67 66 67 (166,660 Euros)
267 Gregory Bourdy (France) 649 64 70 65, Matteo Manassero (Italy) 69 69 60 66 (84,000 Euros each)
SCOTS SCORES
272 Marc Warren 68 65 72 67 (T10) (27,800 Euros)
276 Scott Jamieson 68 69 72 67 (T27) (13,125 Euros).

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TOP 20 FINISH BY KELLETT IN FRANCE


Motherwell's Ross Kellett shot a final round of three-under-par 68 to pull himself up into joint 13th position on four-under-par 280 in the weeknd's Alps Tour event, the Open International de Normandie at Golf de Saint Saens, France.
Kellett earned 895 Euros for his effort which saw him finish 14 shots behind the winner, Frenchman Nicolas Joakmides.
Kellett will be rueing two double bogeys in his second-round 71, which undoubtedly cost him another top 10 finish of which he has had quite a few this season.

ALPS TOUR - Open de Normandie International
Golf de Saint-Saens
Leading final totals
Par 284 (4x71)
266 Nicolas Joakmides (Fra) 64 67 74 71
267 Thomas Linard (Fra) 66 68 65 68, Gareth Shaw (NIr) 70 65 64 68
OTHER TOTALS
280 Ross Kellett (Sco) 69 71 72 68 (T13).
281 Chris McDonnell (Eng) 69 70 72 70, Jack Clark (Eng) 68 74 66 73 (T19)
284 Ricki Neil Jones (Eng) 65 72 75 72 (T27).

ends

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OH HENRY! GREAT SCOTT WINS KAZAKHSTAN OPEN


            AND THE WINNER IS ..... SCOTT HENRY!

Scott Henry claimed the biggest win of his career as the Scot beat Austrian HP Bacher on the second play-off hole in a thrilling finale at the Kazakhstan Open, having sunk an incredible 25 foot birdie putt at the 18th to force the extra holes.
Henry’s win came on his father’s birthday and the 25 year old paid an emotional tribute to him after the victory, which elevated the Glaswegian from 48th place to fifth in the European Challenge Tour Rankings and virtually guarantees him a European Tour card for the 2013 season.
Henry was two shots off the lead held by Frenchman Alexander Levy going into the final day at Zhailjau Golf Resort, in Almaty, but came out with all guns blazing as his playing partners in the final group struggled early on.
He carded five birdies in the front nine to reach the turn in four under par but lost his momentum somewhat on the back nine and a double bogey at the par five 15th hole meant he was overtaken at the top by Bacher, who had already finished with an eight under par 64 to move to 19 under par.
Henry couldn’t get going after that error and two pars meant he needed a birdie on the final hole to force a play-off. With the crowds surrounding the green, the former Jacques Léglise Trophy Captain made light of the immense pressure by rolling in the 25 foot putt for a birdie and a three under par 69, pumping his fist to the delight of the fans.
“That is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Henry, a former winner of the Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship. “It was by far the biggest moment of my career and it felt incredible.”
Henry had another fight on his hands when he found the bunker with his approach on the first play-off hole, while Bacher had a six foot putt for birdie after an incredible second shot from the heavy rough.
Henry got up and down, however, and Bacher could only equal that with par and when the Austrian found the bunker the second time around, Henry played it safe and knocked it into the centre of the green.
Bacher missed his four foot par putt and Henry two-putted to claim the €64,000 winning cheque.
“It’s the biggest win of my life, no doubt about that,” said Henry. “It was my father’s birthday today and I was thinking about him all day to be honest.
“When I left my house a fortnight ago, he told me that two good weeks in Russia and Kazakhstan would be the perfect present so to win here for him is a great feeling. He has played such a big part in my career and is always trying to get the best out of me, I think this win was for him.”
Henry is hoping the win at the Challenge Tour’s ‘Major’ will be the catalyst for a long and fruitful career, and he is certainly not lacking in confidence over his prospects if he ends up in the mix going down the final stretch in a major European Tour event.
“It has hardly kicked in yet but I think I will appreciate it more and more as time goes on. I've always dreamed of playing on The European Tour and I'm confident about my game.
“The performance over the last few holes today under pressure has given me so much confidence. I’m already a pretty confident guy but this gives me a lot of belief and I can’t wait to play on the big stage.”
Bacher, meanwhile, was humble and congratulatory towards the victor in defeat and he was eager to take the positives from a week which yielded the best finish of his Challenge Tour career.
“I didn’t get the tee shot right either time at the 18th in the play-off,” said the 25 year old, whose €44,000 runner-up prize moved him from 80th to 13th in the Rankings. “I had a tough downhill lie on the edge of the bunker for my second shot the second time around.
“The putt to lose it was exactly the same putt I holed to get a birdie and get into the play-off but I just hit it too firm.
“It’s still the best result I've ever had so that’s nice. It’s a very positive week. Going into today it looked like I had no chance of getting in any play-off and I had a great final round so I'm not too disappointed.”
Just after Henry’s putt to force the play-off, overnight leader Levy missed a short one to make it a three-way tie for the lead and he signed for a level par round of 72 to finish in outright third place on 18 under par.
Lasse Jensen of Denmark, England’s Jack Senior and Henry’s compatriot Andrew McArthur all finished in tied fourth place on 17 under par.
Results:
Play off: Henry 4, 4; Bacher 4,5
 
269 S Henry  (Sco) 66 67 67 69, H Bacher (Aut) 67 67 71 64 (Henry won play-off at second extra hole),
270 A Levy (Fra) 66 67 65 72,
271 L Jensen (Den) 65 72 67 67, J Senior (Eng) 70 69 65 67, A McArthur  (Sco) 70 66 69 66,
272 G Lockerbie  (Eng) 67 68 68 69, R Kakko  (Fin) 69 69 67 67, S Pinckney (USA) 66 73 65 68,
273 C Paisley  (Eng) 68 69 68 68, A Hartø  (Den) 68 70 64 71, M Madsen  (Den) 70 69 66 68, A Kaleka  (Fra) 68 68 69 68, M Carlsson  (Swe) 70 69 69 65,
274 J McLeary  (Sco) 71 66 66 71, M Haastrup  (Den) 67 69 67 71, C Doak (Sco) 69 69 67 69,
275 J Hansen  (Den) 70 67 70 68, P Uihlein  (USA) 63 70 69 73, P Oriol (Esp) 68 69 68 70, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 69 71 67 68,
276 J Parry (Eng) 68 70 70 68, P Edberg (Swe) 68 68 71 69, A Snobeck  (Fra) 68 71 66 71, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 71 65 70 70, A Tadini (Ita) 69 68 68 71, J Lima  (Por) 67 71 70 68,
277 N Dougherty  (Eng) 70 66 72 69, A Bernadet  (Fra) 67 72 69 69, B Parker  (Eng) 71 66 70 70, W Besseling  (Ned) 67 74 63 73, E De La Riva  (Esp) 68 68 68 73,
278 F De Vries  (Ned) 70 68 72 68, E Pepperell (Eng) 70 69 71 68, M Tullo (Chi) 73 68 68 69, M Delpodio  (Ita) 71 66 73 68, J Dantorp (Swe) 69 68 70 71, B An (Kor) 68 69 71 70, J Huldahl (Den) 70 71 70 67, S O'Hara  (Sco) 71 69 69 69, D Vancsik (Arg) 68 72 71 67,
279 J Walters (RSA) 68 71 66 74, S Benson (Eng) 65 69 70 75, C Ford (Eng) 70 70 70 69, J Busby (Eng) 67 70 69 73, N Lemke (Swe) 69 71 68 71, T Whitehouse  (Eng) 69 72 69 69, C Macaulay  (Sco) 70 69 72 68, M Glauert (Ger) 69 72 68 70,
280 N Meitinger  (Ger) 72 67 71 70, Å Nilsson (Swe) 71 69 71 69, C Russo (Fra) 69 72 73 66,
281 P Dwyer (Eng) 68 67 73 73, L Claverie (Esp) 68 70 69 74, P Baker (Eng) 69 69 74 69, J Doherty  (Sco) 69 68 71 73, R Steiner (Aut) 70 71 68 72,
282 R Wingardh (Swe) 69 71 70 72, L Saltman (Sco) 71 68 71 72,
283 K Eriksson (Swe) 70 71 73 69,
284 P Relecom  (Bel) 72 69 72 71, M Nixon (Eng) 70 70 73 71, J Van Der Vaart (Ned) 71 70 72 71, R Saxton (Ned) 72 69 68 75, E Kofstad (Nor) 72 69 69 74, J Abbott (Eng) 68 69 76 71,
287 R McGowan  (Eng) 69 72 73 73, J Mommo  (Fin) 75 66 73 73,
288 C Hanson (Eng) 69 72 71 76,
289 A Hansen  (Den) 71 70 75 73,
290 G Houston (Wal) 70 71 72 77,
292 C Gane (Eng) 69 69 76 78,
293 A Ahokas (Fin) 70 69 80 74,
 

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ROSS KELLETT OUTSIDE TOP 20 IN FRENCH EVENT

Ross Kellett from Motherwell is lying T25 with one round to go in this weekend's Alps Tour event, the Open International de Normandie in France.
Ross has shot 69-71-72 for a one-under-par tally of 212 over the par-71 circuit
Leading the field after a third round of eight birdies and a eagle is Frenchaman Nicolas Joakmides on 18 under 195.

LEADERBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
195 Nicolas Joakmides (France) 64 67 64
198 Fabien Marty (France) 64 65 69
SELECTED SCORES
199 Gareth Shaw (N Ireland) 70 65 64 (T3)
208 Jack Clarke (England) 68 74 66 (T5)
211 Chris McDonnell (England) 69 70 72 (T21)
212 Ross Kellett (Scotland) 69 71 72, Ricki Neil Jones (England) 65 72 75 (T25)

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