Golf Update: Jimenez won the Omega European Masters by three strokes over Edoardo Molinari
Molinari fails to steal the day after losing the final round of the Omega European masters to Miguel Angel Jimenez by three strokes.
The 29-year old was the leader of the second round when he posted a 65 on the leader board, which was the lowest score of the day. The third round was quite satisfactory as well, when he made a 68 after the final hole, which was identical to that of Jimenez, who was one of the two threats constantly hovering on Edoardo’s head. The other player who gave the Italian a good challenge was Matteo Manassero a 17-year-old compatriot who scored a 64 in the first round and 69 in the third. This was a good sign for the player who was expecting a consecutive victory after winning the Johnnie walker championship last week and the wild card from the captain of the European team, Colin Montgomerie. The signs of victory remained evident till the 15th tee, where he smashed a birdie to chase Miguel Angel Jimenez and cut his lead by two strokes.
However, at the 16th tee situation changed for the last week’s champion. Edoardo took a long tee shot but it got cut in the half and landed in the fairway bunker. He jumped into the bunker and managed to get the ball out with a wedge but posted a bogey for one on the scorecard which meant that now he was two shots behind the Spaniard. After this incident, Edoardo Molinari could not get up even when Miguel Angel Jimenez got himself stuck in the greenside bunker on the 17th tee followed by a finish with a par.
As for his compatriot, Matteo Manessero who opened the fourth round with a 69 settled with a 68 identical to that of the first two leaders. According to the experts, he started the final day with a blast and couple of birdies at the front nine but as he approached the back nine, he seemed as if he lost confidence. The reason which can be comprehended for this change was the mounting pressure for the amateur and the sudden realization that he was standing in the fourth round with a score of one shot behind his Idol, Edorado Molinari. According to the 17-year-old, he was looking forward for the time, when he would stand face to face with the Player who was his biggest inspiration and when that happened, he became nervous. He further added that it was a privilege for him to play next to a player who was one of the best golfers of the world and he acknowledged the fact that they both belonged to the same soil. Matteo won the prize money of £102,000 and a Tour card for next season in six starts as a professional.
Moving further, after the results arrived on Sunday evening, a sudden realization hits the Golf fraternity that five of the players from Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup side have won since the start of August. This signifies one thing for sure that the European team is in a better position than the American side. This statement can be justified for the last five finishes of the month starting from the most recent; Jimenez won the Omega European masters, before him it was Edoardo Molinari who took the lead in the Johnnie walker championship. Earlier Ross Fisher won at the Irish Open and prior to that was Martin Kaymer in the USPGA Championship. The last player of the team to win recently was Peter Hanson who won the Czech Open.
To wrap it up, the 2 million Euro prize money event has finished and the winner has been declared. Edorado Molinari has failed to seek his second consecutive victory in a week but apart from that, a very interesting revelation came out through the results. The revelation is that two of the Ryder cup team members who were seen at the top of the leader board belonged to the European team, which means Monty is all set to strike back at Corey Pavin with his team.
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