ON THE EUROPEAN TO UR
Garcia secures Valderrama hat trick Garcia secures Valderrama hat trick
ndrew ‘Beef’ Johnston emerged victorious at the Hero
Challenge in the spectacular setting of London’s Canary Wharf
as the Sky Sports British Masters week got off to a À ying start.
Sell-out crowds gathered in one of the English capital’s most famous
business centres to
watch the exciting
one-hole shootout,
as six European
Tour stars, including
the World Number
Two and British
Masters host Justin
Rose, battled it out
– striking quick¿ re
shots to a purpose-
built pontoon
green in the water.
Under the towering
skyline, the World
Number Two Rose
was joined by his
fellow Ryder Cup
winner Thorbjørn
Olesen, the victorious European Captain Thomas Bjørn as well as
the defending British Masters Champion Paul Dunne and English
stars Johnston and Matt Wallace. Rose’s night got off to an almost
perfect start as the Olympic Champion was inches from holing out
with his very ¿ rst shot, to the delight of the crowds, before hitting
the green with his following two shots to top Group One, with fellow
compatriots Johnston and Wallace second and third respectively.
In Group Two, Dunne led the way while Olesen ¿ nished second to
progress to the semi-¿ nals, as Bjørn made an early exit. Rose and
Olesen bowed out in the semi-¿ nal and it came down to Irishman
Dunne and Johnston, as the engaging contest concluded with a
closely-fought ¿ nale. With his penultimate shot, Johnston notched up
20 points to claim the title on his second attempt – having taken part
in the Hero Challenge in Scotland last July. Sergio Garcia successfully wrapped up his third Andalucía
Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation title
with a four-shot victory, after weather delays took the tournament
into a fifth day. The 2017 Masters Tournament winner had been in
possession of a three-shot lead when stormy conditions forced play
to be suspended on last day after a series of weather delays on the
opening three days at Real Club Valderrama had already seen the
tournament reduced to 54 holes.
The defending champion
- who also won this event in
2011 - powered to victory
when play resumed on next
day, carding three birdies
and a single bogey in his
last 11 holes to finish the
week on 12 under par at a
course he counts as one of
his favourites. Irishman Shane
Lowry recorded his best finish
of the season, taking second
place at eight under par after
a final round 66.
The 31 year old - whose last victory came at the 2015 WGC-
Bridgestone Invitational - had given Garcia a scare when he closed
the gap to a single shot courtesy of three birdies in a row at the
start of the back nine, but a double bogey at the short 15th hole
halted his challenge. Finland’s Mikko Korhonen finished two shots
further back at six under par, one ahead of England’s Ashley
Chesters. Lee Westwood and Maximillian Kieffer of Germany were
then at four under par, alongside another local favourite, seven-
time European Tour winner Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, who
secured his European Tour card for 2019 with his share of fifth
place. Scotland’s Richie Ramsay also kept his card after finishing
in a share of 11th on two under par to jump up to 115th on the
Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, with England’s David
Horsey clinching the final place.
Kiradech enjoys best fi nish while Schauffele reigns supreme at WGC-HSBC Champions
hailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat enjoyed his best-ever ¿ nish at
a World Golf Championships by signing off with a one-under-
par 71 to end his week in tied-fourth place at the WGC-HSBC
Champions.The US$10 million event also welcomed a new champion
in American Xander Schauffele after he defeated compatriot Tony
Finau with a birdie in the ¿ rst play-off hole to lift the Old Tom
Morris Cup at the Sheshan International Golf Club. Schauffele, who
celebrated his 25th birthday on 25th Oct., closed with 68 to ¿ nish with
a 14-under-par 274 total for the tournament. On his second trip back
to the 18th for the play-off, Schauffele found the green in two and duly
sank his short birdie putt. He was con¿ rmed as the newest champion
of the WGC-HSBC Champions when Finau’s birdie putt from the edge
of the green stopped just short of the hole. Defending champion Justin
Rose of England had to settle for third place after two bogeys in his
last four holes saw him ¿ nish four shots back of Schauffele and Finau
on 72. China’s Li Haotong justi¿ ed his position as the country’s best
golfer when he posted a 70 to share 11th place with Australia’s Jason
Day and Bill Horschel of the United States while India’s Shubhankar
Sharma, who leads the Asian Tour’s Habitat for Humanity standings,
signed for another 72 and will turn his attention towards strengthening
his pole position on the money list now.
Xander Schauffele of the United States
GolfPlus
NOVEMBER
2018
25