GolfPlus - Nov 19 Digital Edition (Nov 19) | Page 25

ON THE EUROPEAN TO UR
FRANCESCO LAPORTA
STEVEN BROWN
Tournament: Hainan Open
Venue: Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club, China
Tournament: Portugal Masters
Venue: Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Portugal
Prize fund: 1,500,000
rancesco Laporta shot to the top of the Road to Mallorca
Rankings after securing his fi rst European Challenge Tour
victory at the Hainan Open.
The Italian began the day with a two-stroke lead and a fi nal round
of 70, two under par, was enough to clinch victory on 14 under par at
Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club, one stroke clear of France’s Robin Roussel,
who fi nished second on 13 under par, and two ahead of Dutchman Wil
Besseling and Germany’s Sebastian Heisele, who earlier aced the par
three third hole on his way to a four under par 68.
The 29-year-old stayed in front throughout the fi nal round,
however he was joined momentarily at the top by Besseling following
a two-shot swing at the 15th hole before the Dutchman then carded
a double bogey on the 17th after hitting his approach into the water.
Laporta therefore had a one-shot lead with one to play and he
calmly secured victory with a solid par at the last and duly marched to
the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s my fi rst victory on the Challenge
Tour and it’s just crazy.
teven Brown overturned
a three-stroke defi cit to
win his fi rst European
Tour title at the Portugal
Masters and secured his
playing rights for the 2020
season in the process.
The Englishman arrived
in Portugal needing a top-
three fi nish to secure his card
for 2020 but started the fi nal
day in the Algarve in fourth
place.
He put the pressure on
54-hole leader Brandon Stone
after the turn with a birdie on
the 11th and a spectacular eagle on the 12th, hitting his second shot to
just four feet. They were tied with just fi ve holes to play after Stone
bogeyed the 13th, with Brown moving ahead after the South African
dropped another shot at the 16th.
Brown held his nerve with par on each of his fi nal six hole to
secure his fi rst European Tour title, his playing rights for 2020 and
his spot in the Turkish Airlines Open in a fortnight’s time, the fi rst of
three consecutive Rolex Series events at the end of the 2019 season.
Stone shared second place with his compatriot Justin Walters –
who needed a strong week to secure his playing rights for next year,
which he did after moving up to 79th from 121st on the Race to
Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex.
Frenchman Adrien Saddier fi nished fourth, while England’s
Chris Paisley rounded out the top fi ve.
BAI ZHENG-KAI
Tournament: Foshan Open
Venue: Foshan Golf Club
LVWRU\ ZDV PDGH DW WKH )RVKDQ 2SHQ DV %DL =KHQJNDL
EHFDPHWKH¿UVW&KLQHVHSOD\HUWRZLQRQWKH(XURSHDQ
&KDOOHQJH7RXU ZLWK D VL[ XQGHU SDU EDFN QLQH VHFXULQJ
YLFWRU\DW)RVKDQ*ROI&OXE%DLVLJQHGIRUDVHYHQXQGHU
SDURQWKH¿QDOGD\WRUHDFKXQGHUSDUIRUWKHWRXUQDPHQW
IRXU VWURNHV FOHDU RI 'RX =HFKHQJ ZKR ¿QLVKHG VHFRQG RQ 
XQGHUSDUZKLOH6FRWODQG¶V&DOXP+LOO¿QLVKHGZLWK¿YHVXFFHVVLYH
ELUGLHVWR¿QLVKWKLUGRQXQGHUSDUDQGUHWXUQWRWKHWRSRIWKH
5RDGWR0DOORUFD5DQNLQJV
+RZHYHUWKHGD\EHORQJHGWR\HDUROG%DLZKRVKRZHG
PDWXULW\EH\RQGKLV\HDUVDVKHSXW)RVKDQ*ROI&OXEWRWKHVZRUG
RYHUWKH¿QDOQLQHKROHVDQGPDGH&KDOOHQJH7RXUKLVWRU\LQWKH
SURFHVV³,WIHHOVDPD]LQJ´KHVDLG³%HFRPLQJWKH¿UVW&KLQHVH
SOD\HUWRZLQWKH)RVKDQ2SHQLVXQEHOLHYDEOH,¶YHKDGDJUHDW
ZHHN DQG ,¶P YHU\ KDSS\ ³$OO WKH (XURSHDQV DUH JRRG SOD\HUV
DQGLWMXVWIHHOVDPD]LQJWRZLQWKLVWRXUQDPHQW,¶PKRQRXUHGWR
EHFRPHWKH¿UVW&KLQHVHSOD\HUWRZLQRQWKH&KDOOHQJH7RXU´
GolfPlus
NOVEMBER
2019
29