Englishman opens European Tour account with birdie at final hole
Sunday 29 July 2018 20:11, UK
Richard McEvoy birdied the final hole to win the Porsche European Open and claim his maiden European Tour title.
The 39-year-old Englishman held his nerve to sink a 20-foot putt at the 18th and snatch a one-shot victory from Renato Paratore, Christofer Blomstrand and Allen John at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg.
The world No 275, who was playing in his 285th European Tour event, closed with a one-over 73 to finish on 11-under 277 as American duo Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed both imploded during the final round.
McEvoy also became the first player to win on the Challenge Tour and the European Tour in successive weeks as he followed up his win in the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge last week.
He started the day in a share of the lead with DeChambeau and held a two-shot advantage when he birdied the seventh, but the pair were level again a hole later when McEvoy bogeyed and the American birdied.
McEvoy followed a birdie at the 11th with back-to-back bogeys at the 12th and 13th, but he was one in front again after he birdied the 15th and DeChambeau dropped shots at both the 15th and 16th.
However, the Englishman bogeyed the par-three 17th after over-shooting the green which left him level with Paratore, Blomstrand and John on 10 under coming down the par-five 18th where his tee shot found the right-hand side rough.
McEvoy opted to lay-up rather than go for the green and then left his third shot 20 feet short of the pin, but that proved to be no problem as he confidently stepped up and found the centre of the cup with his right-to-left putt.
"Absolutely incredible," he told Sky Sports. "It was a rollercoaster ride big time today. But I fought hard, I believed and even at the last I overpowered my caddie to lay it up and give myself the best opportunity to make birdie and managed to do it.
"I've tried to enjoy my golf as much as possible. Not that I haven't been but I just needed to that little bit more and it's just come up proper trumps."
DeChambeau, meanwhile, twice found water at the 18th as he ran up a triple-bogey eight and dropped to joint-13th place on six under following a six-over 78.
Italian Paratore had earlier produced the shot of the day as he found the green from the trees on the 18th and made birdie - his eagle putt just missing - to finish on 10 under after a two-under 70 which featured another two birdies and only one bogey.
German amateur John delighted the locals with a five-under 67, which included three successive birdies from the 15th, but a par at the 18th following a wayward drive meant he also came up just short.
World No 614 Blomstrand from Sweden did manage to birdie the 18th after also racking up three birdies on a flawless front nine.
Japan's Hideto Tanihara (69) and Romain Wattel of France (71) shared fifth place on nine under, with England's Paul Casey (73), whose challenge faded early on after he found water at the tough fourth and sixth, and Matthias Schwab of Austria (75) a shot further back on eight under.
Schwab was only one off the lead overnight but he also suffered at the fourth and sixth as he dropped four shots over the first six holes, although he did recover a little with birdies at the final two holes.
Masters champion Reed moved alongside McEvoy and DeChambeau at the top of the leaderboard after birdieing the third, but he subsequently joined the fourth and sixth bogey club before dropping three further shots on the back nine as he signed for a 76 to finish on seven under and in joint-ninth.
