Ryder Cup star Jamie Donaldson is now a winner on the Legends Tour after overcoming a four-shot deficit to say the Champions UK plc Senior European Masters hosted by Peter Baker.
Taking part in in simply his second event after turning 50 over the summer season, the Welshman – a three-time winner on the DP World Tour – shot an excellent closing 67 at La Manga Membership in Murcia, Spain, to complete at -11 and edge out Mikael Lundberg, Thomas Gögele and Van Phillips.
In a single day chief Michael Campbell light on the back-nine with a collection of premature bogeys and completed in a tie for fifth place at -8 alongside defending champion Simon Griffiths and fellow Englishman Matt Cort.
Swedish Ryder Cup duo Jarmo Sandelin and Joakim Haeggman, together with Adilson da Silva and Dutchman Maarten Lafeber – who matched Donaldson’s low spherical of 67 – had been a shot additional again at -7.
JAMIE’S PLAN
“Early within the spherical I wasn’t making an attempt to push an excessive amount of, simply wished to let it occur. I attempted to remain calm and follow the plan of simply hitting fairways and know I’ll have possibilities and that’s what I did. I obtained off to a robust begin, after which it type of snowballed in my course as I made extra birdies across the flip.
“I’m actually happy to have completed so strongly, and though it’s a disgrace I bogeyed 17, I bounced again very well with an excellent drive on 18 after which a stable 5-iron into the guts of the inexperienced. I hit a horrible first putt however fortunately the tempo was good and I obtained to -11.
“I performed Italy and completed seventeenth, and I keep in mind considering that it was fairly troublesome as a result of there’s so many guys out right here that could not hit the ball so long as guys on the DP World Tour however they nonetheless play actually, actually good golf, and so they’re very, superb at scoring. The scoring in Italy was actually good and I knew I’d must play some golf if I need to win tournaments out right here. Fortunately, I managed to try this this week.”
Beginning at five-under, the 2014 Ryder Cup participant was rapidly out of the blocks with three birdies in his first six holes to shut to inside one as former US Open champion Campbell faltered. One other on the tenth – as Campbell bogeyed – gave him a share of the lead as the strain ratcheted up. A stirring end, with very good birdies at 16 and 18, catapulted him into the clubhouse lead at -11.
Germany’s Gögele had earlier seized a chance to take the lead himself with three front-nine birdies of his personal and it quickly grew to become a straight struggle with Donaldson for the title. Standing on the seventeenth Gögele held the lead at -11 however like Donaldson he bogeyed the par-three and was left needing to birdie the reachable par-five to power a play-off. Sadly his tee shot caught the wind and located water, and though he scrambled a par it left him a shot adrift of the clubhouse lead.
Gögele was joined at -10 by the shape participant of the final three months, Mikael Lundberg, who knocked a 235-yard 3-wood to a foot for a tap-in eagle on the final. The Swede has completed within the top-10 in seven of his final 9 outings and a victory actually feels imminent. Van Phillips additionally surged to -10 with birdies at 17 and 18 to cap one other stable week for the Englishman.
“That was a tricky week,” stated Phillips. “It was very windy and the greens are actually troublesome however I’ve performed actually solidly and I’m actually completely happy. I didn’t fairly get the momentum at this time however I’ve had a robust end and I’ve obtained to be pleased with that. I’ve had some shut calls in current months and a few actually disappointing Sundays, so it was good to shoot a correct rating on a Sunday.”
The Legends Tour now strikes on to Asia with the Vattanac Legends in Cambodia going down in two weeks’ time.
