GOLF/SPANISH OPEN:SOUTH AFRICAN Thomas Aiken lifted his first European Tour title yesterday at the Spanish Open – an event inevitably overshadowed by the death of three-time winner Seve Ballesteros.
“It’s been a sad week with Seve passing away,” he said. “I definitely want to dedicate this win to him with it being his home Open and what he gave to his home fans and to golf.”
The 27-year-old from Johannesburg, playing his first tournament after a seven-week lay-off, shot a closing 70 at El Prat near Barcelona to beat Dane Anders Hansen by two.
Aiken took the first prize of €333,330 – way more than Ballesteros earned for his three Open victories combined – with a 10 under par total of 278.
“I don’t think it’s quite hit home yet,” he added. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time and I’ve been knocking on the door. I’m ecstatic.”
With all the players again wearing black ribbons in memory of the Spanish superstar, Aiken became the fifth South African to win on the circuit already this season. US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel is among them, of course.
Aiken resumed two in front and doubled that with birdies at the second and sixth.
He added another on the short 11th, and, after failing to get up and down from sand at the 223-yard 13th, he came straight back with another birdie.
Three-putting the 15th cut the gap to three again, and when he drove into sand down the 17th the outcome was still far from certain.
However, Aiken, six times a winner in his home country, saved par and finished with another.
Playing partner Hansen, never able to pile on the pressure, birdied the par five last to push Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal into joint-third.
For 27-year-old Tour rookie Jamieson it was the best of his three top-10 finishes already this year and he earned a cheque for €112,600.
Jose Maria Olazabal, mourning the loss of his great friend and ex-cup partner Ballesteros, managed only a 77 and fell outside the top 50 on eight over.
Shane Lowry shot a 72 for a share of 11th place and a four-under total of 284, while Peter Lawrie also finished on 72 for a two-under tally of 286.
LET: Holland’s Christel Boeljon claimed the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open title after a level-par 73 final round at the National Golf Club in Telek.
The 23-year-old had started the day with a one-shot lead over England’s Florentyna Parker and Wales’ Becky Brewerton, and extended that to beat the pair by three strokes with England’s Melissa Reid a shot back.
Boeljon enjoyed the ideal start to her round when she carded three birdies in her first four holes.
Rebecca Codd closed with a 75 to share 30th place on 10 over. She earned just under €2,400.
At Real Club de Golf El Prat
(British unless stated, par 72)
278 – Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 68 68 72 70 (€333,330)
280 – Anders Hansen (Den) 69 72 69 70
281 – Scott Jamieson 66 72 72 71, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 67 70 73 71
282 – Romain Wattel (Fra) 67 71 72 72, Paul Lawrie 72 71 72 67, David Horsey 71 70 71 70, Phillip Price 70 71 72 69, Simon Dyson 75 67 72 68, Gregory Havret (Fra) 71 72 69 70
284 – Alexander Noren (Swe) 72 67 74 71, Shane Lowry (Ire) 69 73 70 72 (€33,500), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 73 70 74 67, Thomas Levet (Fra) 71 70 74 69
285 – Christian Cevaer (Fra) 72 69 72 72, Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 72 72 76 65, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 72 66 75 72, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 72 71 71, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 68 71 76 70, Mark Foster 72 71 74 68, Seve Benson 69 74 70 72
286 – Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 72 69 73 72, Peter Lawrie (Ire) 68 72 74 72 (€22,300)
287 – Anthony Wall 68 70 77 72, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 67 74 76 70, Chris Wood 70 73 70 74, Danny Willett 70 75 70 72, Bradley Dredge 73 72 73 69
288 – Robert Rock 75 69 72 72, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 73 70 72 73, Alexandre Kaleka (Fra) 71 70 73 74
289 – Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 73 71 74 71, Robert Coles 72 71 76 70, Eduardo De La Riva (Spa) 72 73 72 72, Andreas Harto (Den) 70 73 73 73
290 – Colin Montgomerie 70 74 73 73, Lorenzo Gagli (Ita) 71 71 70 78, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 72 70 71 77, Kenneth Ferrie 71 73 72 74, James Morrison 73 69 76 72
291 – Jordi Garcia (Spa) 71 72 79 69, Peter Whiteford 73 72 73 73, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 73 68 78 72, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 72 73 79 67, Florian Fritsch (Ger) 71 71 76 73
292 – Laurie Canter 75 70 76 71, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 71 72 76 73, Mikko Korhonen (Fin) 72 71 75 74, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 71 71 81 69
294 – David Drysdale 72 71 72 79, Richie Ramsay 72 72 77 73, Richard Finch 76 69 80 69, Richard McEvoy 70 73 75 76, Jason Knutzon (US) 70 74 77 73
295 – Daniel Gaunt (Aus) 74 71 72 78
296 – Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 72 72 75 77, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa) 71 72 81 72, Julio Zapata (Arg) 74 71 75 76
297 – Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 70 75 74 78, George Murray 72 73 77 75, Robert Dinwiddie 73 68 81 75, Simon Wakefield 72 73 79 73, Barry Lane 70 73 81 73
298 – Thomas Norret (Den) 72 72 77 77
299 – Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 74 70 78 77, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 73 71 76 79
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