England triumphs against Germany but Rose fades at Travelers
Despondent football fans might still be lamenting Frank Lampard's disallowed goal (even if the team as a whole were comprehensively outplayed) but at least one Englishman had a day to remember yesterday - and on German soil, too, David Horsey taking his maiden victory at the BMW International Open in Munich.
The 25-year-old had begun the day five strokes behind Germany's Alex Cejka, and had looked out of it until the closing stages. Horsey picked up a pair of birdies on two of the final three holes on a flawless final round, to finish 18-under-par - a stroke ahead of fellow Englishman Ross Fisher, who claimed second place after eagling the 18th.
That left Cejka tied for third place along with England's Kenneth Ferrie and Wales' Bradley Dredge, along with a pair of Spaniards, Pablo Larrazábal and Rafael Cabrera-Bello, all on 16-under. Dredge and Larrazábal had spent much of the round duelling for the lead before both players bogeyed the 16th to allow the pursuing Horsey back into contention.
South Africa's Charl Schwartzel was a stroke further back on 15-under, with Spain's Alejandro Cañizares and Ireland's Simon Thornton rounding out the top 10, the pair tied for ninth place on 14-under.
After the round, Horsey said: "It's unbelievable and it's not sunk in yet. Coming down the last I didn't know what was going on. I just wanted to concentrate on what I was doing."
"The last few weeks have been a bit of a struggle [having missed three cuts in a row] and I just wanted to relax this week. This win is what I've been trying to get for over a year. I felt I was good enough coming out on Tour, but maybe I put a little bit too much pressure on myself."
For a few of the bigger names who'd competed at Pebble Beach a week before, this European Tour event seemed an inconvenience, with Paul Casey only able to finish one-under-par, while Ernie Els and the troubled Sergio Garcia failed to make the cut.
At the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, Bubba Watson clinched his first win on the PGA Tour after a play-off, edging out Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank on the second extra hole after each player had finished on 14-under-par.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington wasn't far off the pace, finishing tied for fifth place on 12-under after a fine closing day score of six-under-par 64, with a round that comprised seven birdies (and a bogey on the 16th).
England's Justin Rose had started the final day with a three-stroke lead but played poorly on the final day, four bogeys and a double on the 16th costing Rose the chance of winning his second PGA Tour victory in the space of a month. The 29-year-old could only finish tied for ninth place on 11-under, after a final round of five-over 75.
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