JACQUELIN WINS NINE-HOLE PLAY-OFF FOR OPEN DE ESPANA

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin claimed his fourth European Tour victory at the Open de España, but only after a marathon, record-equalling play-off that lasted over two hours in Valencia.

Facing Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar in the sudden-death play-off after 54-hole leader Marc Warren fell away during the closing stages of regulation play, Jacquelin triumphed with birdie on the ninth additional hole to claim the €250,000 first prize at Parador de El Saler.

Only once before has a play-off of such length been contested in European Tour history, at the 1989 Dutch Open, when José María Olazábal beat Roger Chapman and Ronan Rafferty.

After the threesome made the play-off on five under par – Jacquelin with a birdie at the final hole – there were pars all round on the first two trips down the par four 18^th hole, before the Frenchman and the German found birdies at the third time of asking – in contrasting fashion.

With the Chilean missing the green to the right, Jacquelin fired in a brilliant approach to two feet while Kieffer’s effort came up just short – some 30 feet from the hole.

Extraordinary scenes followed, though, as the 22 year old’s putt fell in sparking great celebration in the Kieffer camp, meaning Jacquelin’s tap-in merely ensured further additional holes – albeit this time without Aguilar after the South American failed to hole out from off the green.

Jacquelin and Kieffer shared pars over the next five trips down the 466-yard closing hole, before the older of the pair, who last won over two years ago at the Sicilian Open, finally holed out for birdie after sending his wedge to five feet in his tenth playing of the 18^th hole on Sunday.

“It's difficult to describe how I feel, a little bit tired at the moment after nine holes of play-off but I’m really happy,” he said. “At the ninth time of asking makes it even better – after the win. It would have been really disappointing if I had lost this tournament, but it was a real fight, and very hard to put the ball in the hole, but I managed in the end.

“I'm very happy to win again in Spain, especially at El Saler, because the last time I played here was with Severiano as a Captain for the Seve Trophy, and that means a lot to me.”

Of the man who pushed him all the way, making only his tenth European Tour start, Jacquelin said: “Maximilian did really well, he started this year very well and he's going to win a lot of tournaments, that's for sure.” 

Kieffer sprang to attention in his first appearance as a full European Tour Member in December, finishing tied fourth at the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa and despite this disappointment the young German looks set for a bright future in the game.

“It's been a very long day,” he reflected. “When I got into the playoff I said to myself: ‘I have played very well today, I'll do my best and let's see what happens’; I was proud of being up there. But after playing nine times, then it's a bit disappointing to lose.

“My caddie said to me that it was like shooting penalties, and in the end one player has to win. Raphaël played some great shots on 18 and it was just a matter of time that one putt should drop."

Despite holing out from a greenside bunker for birdie at the 16^th, overnight leader Warren was left to rue back-to-back three-putts on the closing two holes to miss out on a spot in the play-off, finishing in the tie for fourth on four under par.

FINAL TOTALS 

Par 288 (4x72)

283 R Jacquelin (Fra) 73 66 73 71, F Aguilar (Chi) 68 71 74 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 75 68 69 71

284 M Carlsson  (Swe) 70 75 68 71, P Waring  (Eng) 71 71 69 73, D Horsey (Eng) 71 74 66 73, M Warren (Sco) 70 70 68 76

285 M Delpodio  (Ita) 73 69 73 70, P Uihlein  (USA) 70 68 74 73, E Pepperell (Eng) 70 70 73 72, E Kofstad (Nor) 71 72 70 72

286 A Marshall (Eng) 72 74 70 70, N Elvira  (Esp) 71 72 71 72, L Jensen (Den) 71 70 74 71, S Garcia  (Esp) 72 73 70 71

287 G Maybin (Nir) 74 71 75 67, M Manassero (Ita) 78 68 72 69, P Lawrie (Irl) 71 74 72 70, P Casey  (Eng) 72 70 72 73, E Grillo (Arg) 74 72 68 73

288 G Bourdy (Fra) 72 73 68 75, J Lagergren (Swe) 69 76 69 74, J Morrison  (Eng) 72 73 73 70, L Slattery (Eng) 75 71 70 72, J Luiten (Ned) 74 72 70 72, C Lee (Sco) 69 71 70 78

289 R Karlberg  (Swe) 72 67 75 75, C Macaulay  (Sco) 73 71 74 71, J Quesne  (Fra) 72 70 73 74, P Price (Wal) 70 74 72 73, E Molinari  (Ita) 70 73 78 68, E De La Riva  (Esp) 72 73 70 74, M Tullo (Chi) 71 71 74 73, M Lampert (Ger) 76 68 71 74

290 I Garrido (Esp) 72 71 77 70, J Gonnet  (Fra) 73 73 70 74, A Hansen (Den) 72 71 74 73, D Drysdale (Sco) 73 72 68 77, M Nixon (Eng) 74 72 71 73, R Finch  (Eng) 70 73 76 71, R Derksen (Ned) 69 73 77 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 73 72 74, J Sandelin (Swe) 74 71 72 73

291 S Hansen (Den) 74 70 72 75, J Sjöholm (Swe) 69 76 72 74, G Fernandez-Castaño  (Esp) 69 73 74 75, K Ferrie (Eng) 72 73 69 77, R Gonzalez (Arg) 74 70 72 75, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 72 73 75 71, D Howell (Eng) 70 71 71 79

292 T Fleetwood  (Eng) 72 69 74 77, M Baldwin (Eng) 73 68 73 78, M Madsen  (Den) 68 72 74 78, A Forsyth (Sco) 76 70 74 72, D Higgins (Irl) 69 75 72 76

293 C Aguilar  (Esp) 71 72 80 70, R Davies (Wal) 73 72 74 74, A Cañizares  (Esp) 71 73 73 76, P Oriol (Esp) 71 75 72 75, A Hartø  (Den) 73 67 81 72

294 V Dubuisson  (Fra) 74 70 72 78, R Green (Aus) 73 72 73 76, A Velasco (Esp) 71 71 76 76, D Brooks (Eng) 69 75 76 74, C Cévaër (Fra) 76 70 72 76, S Benson (Eng) 74 72 72 76

295 T Van Der Walt (RSA) 73 72 73 77, S Little (Eng) 73 72 74 76

296 S Lowry  (Irl) 78 66 74 78

298 J Lara (Esp) 70 74 80 74

299 J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 73 71 82 73

300 G Cambis  (Fra) 77 69 76 78, G Stal  (Fra) 68 78 83 71

 

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS