FRENCHMAN QUESNE COMES HOME IN 31 FOR EURO TOUR VICTORY

REPORT BY MICHAEL GIBBONS
A brilliant back nine 31, including three birdies in his closing four holes, saw Julien Quesne claim the 70° Open d’Italia Lindt at Golf Club Torino for his second European Tour title.

The Frenchman began the day four shots off the lead and looked out of contention when he ran up a double-bogey six on the second, but birdied the fourth and sixth and then stormed home in 31. 

The 33 year old picked up shots at the tenth, 11th and 15th before chipping in from short of the 17th green and holing from six feet for another birdie on the last to complete a closing 67.

That set the clubhouse target on 12 under par just moments before overnight leader Marcus Fraser, who was also 12 under, three-putted the 15th and dropped another shot on the par three 16th after missing the green from the tee. 

Fraser eventually signed for a 74 to finish joint eighth on nine under, leaving Ireland's David Higgins and England's Steve Webster to share second on 11 under.

Higgins had birdied the 18th to match playing partner Webster's closing 68, the 2005 champion having threatened to claim the title again when he holed from 60 feet across the 17th green. 

Quesne, whose previous win came in the Open de Andalucía last year, said: "I am very proud of this back nine. My attitude was very good this week and I think this is the key. To enjoy a second win on The European Tour is like a dream for me.

"After my double bogey I just kept calm. I was thinking the winner would be 15 under and I was only five under. I thought 'just keep working and we will see what happens'. 

"I am surprised to be here. The flags were very difficult all week so it was very difficult to make birdies and easy to make some bogeys."

The victory lifts Quesne to 41st on The Race to Dubai with the top 60 qualifying for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72)

 

276 J Quesne  (Fra) 70 68 71 67

277 S Webster (Eng) 67 69 73 68, D Higgins (Irl) 67 69 73 68,

278 N Colsaerts  (Bel) 65 71 70 72, E Grillo (Arg) 70 72 68 68, F Aguilar (Chi) 69 66 72 71, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 73 67 71 67,

279 A Quiros  (Esp) 71 67 73 68, S Benson (Eng) 68 70 72 69, M Fraser (Aus) 66 71 68 74, R Wattel  (Fra) 71 72 66 70, R Derksen (Ned) 71 69 71 68, H Otto (RSA) 71 67 70 71,

280 E Kofstad (Nor) 70 69 73 68, M Kieffer (Ger) 65 72 72 71,

281 F Zanotti (Par) 71 70 69 71, S Thornton (Irl) 68 67 72 74, D Horsey (Eng) 72 70 73 66, F Molinari (Ita) 68 67 71 75, M Foster (Eng) 74 65 71 71, J Van Zyl (RSA) 70 69 71 71, M Madsen  (Den) 72 71 70 68

282 M Tullo (Chi) 70 70 74 68, D Drysdale (Sco) 69 72 71 70, C Doak (Sco) 74 67 69 72, S Hend (Aus) 72 71 66 73, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 69 72 68 73, S Jamieson  (Sco) 72 69 70 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 71 68 72 71, J Lagergren (Swe) 72 67 67 76, J Campillo (Esp) 68 73 70 71

283 R Gonzalez (Arg) 65 73 70 75, M Carlsson  (Swe) 72 71 68 72, S Wakefield (Eng) 70 73 68 72, M Korhonen (Fin) 70 70 73 70, O Floren  (Swe) 71 72 71 69, R Allenby (Aus) 71 72 70 70,

284 G Fdez-Castaño  (Esp) 71 70 73 70, T Aiken (RSA) 69 71 74 70, A Cañizares  (Esp) 71 67 72 74, R Paratore (am) (Ita) 72 66 71 75,

285 M Manassero (Ita) 70 70 69 76, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 72 73 69, M Nixon (Eng) 70 69 74 72, A Levy (Fra) 70 72 72 71, G Orr (Sco) 73 68 72 72,

286 J Ruth  (Eng) 69 72 73 72, J Kingston (RSA) 68 71 75 72, J Edfors (Swe) 69 70 71 76, B Åkesson (Swe) 72 69 75 70, R Finch  (Eng) 68 74 69 75, S Dyson  (Eng) 69 74 72 71,

287 D Howell (Eng) 71 72 72 72, J Hansen  (Den) 68 74 70 75, A Tadini (Ita) 72 71 71 73, S Khan (Eng) 73 70 71 73, K Broberg (Swe) 70 73 70 74, G Mulroy (RSA) 71 72 72 72

288 J Lucquin (Fra) 71 72 74 71, L Slattery (Eng) 70 73 71 74, T Lewis (Eng) 70 72 75 71, G Boyd  (Eng) 74 69 74 71, D McGrane (Irl) 71 69 76 72, A Hartø  (Den) 69 74 71 74, R Ramsay  (Sco) 75 68 70 75,

289 R Goosen (RSA) 70 72 74 73, P Whiteford (Sco) 73 68 74 74, J Walters (RSA) 70 73 71 75, M Grönberg (Swe) 71 70 73 75,

290 J Olazábal (Esp) 71 68 74 77,

291 R McEvoy  (Eng) 73 70 73 75,

292 E Goya (Arg) 69 72 80 71,

293 G Storm  (Eng) 70 71 73 79,

294 E Lipparelli (am) (Ita) 69 73 78 74,

299 P Erofejeff (Fin) 74 69 77 79

 

Michael Gibbons

Deputy Chief Press Officer

European Tour