Englishman David Horsey won his third European Tour event, but only his first since 2011, as he edged Irishman Damien McGrane in a Russian Open playoff on Sunday.
The 29-year-old, who led from day one, looked to have thrown away his overnight lead when he double bogeyed the 12th and dropped another shot at 14. McGrane shot a final-round six-under-par 66 to take the clubhouse lead. However Horsey chipped in a remarkable eagle at 17 before scrambling par at the last to finish level with McGrane on 17-under at the Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club outside Moscow.
The two men settled the affair at the first playoff hole when Horsey two putted for par and McGrane bogeyed the hole after finding a greenside bunker with his approach.
“I’m relieved really — that’s the word that sums it up, and it was quite similar to my last win, in Morocco, where I made a bit of a mess of a couple of holes on the back nine,” Horsey said. “I didn’t know where I was in the tournament until the 17th when I hit it through the back of the green there and then realized I was three behind and needed to do something drastic quite quickly.”
“I managed to chip in there and was trying to make birdie at the last,” he added. “I didn’t realize Damien had dropped one [bogey at 18], but I managed to get up and down there and was fortunate to win the playoff as well.”
Scotland’s Scott Jamieson took third spot after a solid three-under-par 69, while Englishman Sam Hutsby was a further shot back in fourth after carding a 68. Peter Whiteford of Scotland, who shared the overnight lead with Horsey, slumped to a three-over 75 and a fifth-place finish.
It was Horsey’s first win in 89 EPGA events and could lift him from his current ranking of 198 in the world to inside the top 120.
“I knew the chip on 17 had to go in. I knew by that point that I was three behind so I needed it to go in,” Horsey said.
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