Mallorca Classic: Sergio Garcia justified his position as pre-tournament favourite, and perhaps even his decision to skip the lucrative World Matchplay Championship, with victory in the Mallorca Classic yesterday.
Garcia carded a final round 67 at Pula Golf Club for a 12-under-par total of 268, four shots ahead of England's Simon Khan, who closed with a 71.
It gave the Ryder Cup star a fifth European Tour title - his first since the Spanish Open in 2002 - and a cheque for €166,000, almost a 10th of what was on offer in Wentworth.
It wasn't a great tournament for the Irish contingent, however, with Peter Lawrie the top finisher on level par 280 after a final round 70. Damien McGrane was one shot further back after a closing 71, while Gary Murphy's 72 left him on 285. Philip Walton followed up Saturday's 80 with a 75, to finish on 294
The 24-year-old Garcia overcame a terrible start to the final round to eventually cruise to victory. "I said from the beginning of the week this was a great decision to come here," he said.
"I feel the Spanish people deserve to see me play and unfortunately I haven't been able to play here until this late in the season. I was really committed to come here and try to win, unless I win a WGC event or a major I only have a few chances to win in Europe, and to be able to do it in Spain makes it even sweeter.
"The way I was playing maybe I would have had a chance at Wentworth, but I don't care. I'm happy here with my people and it's a wonderful feeling to come through like I did and play the last 13 holes in five under par."
Eleventh in the world rankings at the start of the week, 57 places ahead of his nearest challenger, Garcia was as short as 3 to 1 to win in Mallorca but bogeyed the first two holes yesterday to fall three shots behind playing partner Khan, the Essex golfer opening with a birdie.
Crucially, however, while Garcia got up and down for par on the third and fourth, Khan was dropping shots over the same stretch and a birdie on the sixth drew the Spaniard level.
Both players then birdied the seventh and bogeyed the eighth before Garcia took the lead for the first time with a birdie from eight feet on the ninth.
The key hole proved to be the 11th however, with Khan going over the green to bogey while his playing partner holed from four feet for birdie.
"That was the key," admitted Khan. "The second shot jumped on me and I had no shot from over the green. But to be fair Sergio showed his class, just when he needed to he produced the shots at the right time.
"In the end I'm happy. If I had holed the putts I had over the first two days on the weekend I feel I could have won but I never felt comfortable with the putter."
(British unless stated, Irish bold, Par 70) (x) amateur
268 - S Garcia (Spn) 66 67 68 67.
272 - S Khan 66 64 71 71.
273 - C Rodiles (Spn) 66 67 71 69.
275 - F Delamontagne (Fra) 65 71 71 68, S Luna (Spn) 67 69 69 70, M Brier (Aut) 68 68 67 72.
276 - P Broadhurst 68 72 69 67, A Forsyth 67 68 73 68, G Fernandez-Castano (Spn) 72 64 69 71.
277 - J M Olazabal (Spn) 73 68 70 66.
278 - J M Lara (Spn) 67 69 75 67, D Park 75 65 70 68, P Fowler (Aus) 66 70 73 69, S Gallacher 70 67 71 70, Paul Lawrie 68 70 70 70.
279 - E Canonica (Ita) 67 67 76 69, B Kennedy (Aus) 70 67 72 70, R Sterne (Rsa) 69 69 71 70.
280 - A Wall 69 70 74 67, J Rivero (Spn) 70 69 73 68, M Maritz (Rsa) 73 68 70 69, R Coles 71 69 71 69, Peter Lawrie 71 67 72 70, M Jonzon (Swe) 70 71 69 70, Pl Eales 74 66 70 70, D Fichardt (Rsa) 65 71 72 72.
281 - F Roca (Spn) 68 71 75 67, S O'Hara 69 69 74 69, R Gonzalez (Arg) 69 67 74 71, D McGrane 71 71 68 71, J-F Lucquin (Fra) 70 68 71 72.
282 - M Olander (Swe) 69 70 76 67, G Brand Jnr 70 71 71 70, P Golding 71 69 71 71, M Roe 68 68 72 74.
283 - S Struver (Ger) 71 67 77 68, B Davis 71 70 74 68, V Phillips 69 73 72 69, C Hanell (Swe) 72 69 73 69, R Muntz (Ned) 71 71 71 70, R Russell 72 71 69 71, J Edfors (Swe) 71 71 69 72, T Jesus Munoz (Spn) 67 69 73 74.
284 - M Angel Martin (Spn) 71 72 72 69, M Erlandsson (Swe) 69 72 73 70, W Ormsby (Aus) 70 73 70 71, R Karlsson (Swe) 67 70 75 72.
285 - G Murphy 76 67 70 72, F Andersson (Swe) 70 63 78 74, S Webster 69 68 73 75.
286 - J M Arruti (Spn) 73 70 73 70, S Hansen (Den) 69 69 76 72, M Fraser (Aus) 69 69 74 74.
287 - C Balmaseda (Spn) 71 72 73 71, M Siem (Ger) 69 73 74 71, S Scahill (Nzl) 71 68 76 72, S Little 75 68 71 73, (x) S Garcia Grout (Spn) 72 69 73 73, O Rojhan (Nor) 69 69 75 74. 288 - E de la Riva (Spn) 72 69 77 70, RChapman 72 69 71 76. 289 - P Streeter 70 73 73 73. 290 - Robertson 73 70 76 71, R Rashell (USA) 69 74 74 73, I Pyman 70 68 74 78. 291 - J M Carriles (Spn) 72 70 79 70. 293 - J Lomas 71 72 81 69, R Rock 72 71 75 75, G Emerson 71 71 73 78. 294 - P Baker 73 70 79 72, P Walton 71 68 80 75. 295 - N Dougherty 74 68 75 78. 297 - D Gaunt (Aus) 73 68 84 72. 299 - D Dixon 66 73 82 78 301 - C Garcia (Spn) 70 73 84 74
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