A bogey in the playoffs cost Tim Thelen a victory at the French Riviera Masters
Tim Thelen remained bogey free in the last two rounds in regulation, in the French Riviera Masters and shared the lead, entering the sudden-death playoffs with David J Russell.
However, a drop shot on the third extra hole cost him a victory at the Terre Blanche Resort and Golf Club on Sunday, September 23, 2012.
Thelen displayed a phenomenal performance in the last two rounds, especially after opening the round with a 76 on Friday.
“I’m just very pleased with the way I’ve finished this tournament after starting off with a 76,” he said. “I hit the ball really badly on Friday, and after my round I went to the range for an hour and a half and managed to find something”.
“I stuck with it and it has worked because the last two days I’ve played well, holed some putts and didn’t make a single bogey until the play-off,” he added.
He started off his final round campaign with a tied seventh position in hand. He made a brilliant start with a sparkling eagle on the first hole.
He reached the turn with a three-under par score, thanks to a birdie on the sixth hole. He then made a strong charge on the leaderboard by birdying three of the first four holes on the back nine.
Afterwards, he parred each of the last five holes for a six-under par 66 final-round score. His overall score at the end of three rounds was an eight-under par 208 – a feat also matched by Russell.
In the playoffs, both the players parred the first two extra holes and returned to the 18th tee for the fourth time during the day.
On the third extra hole, Thelen failed to save the par and handed over the victory to his competitor.
As a result, he also missed the chance of raising the third trophy of his campaign on the European Seniors Tour this year.
Earlier in July, he won two events in a row – the Berenberg Bank Masters and the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open.
He now ranks fourth in the European Senior Tour’s Order of Merit, with earnings of €178,496.
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