Irish Open 2012: Jamie Donaldson on the top
Finally, one the most successful European Tour events, the Irish Open 2012, is over. The Open, hosted at Royal Portrush golf course, was attended by over 130,000 people.
After four days of magnificent golf, it finally came to an end. With the end emerged a winner and this time, it was the 36-year-old Jamie Ross Donaldson.
This was Donaldson’s 9th appearance in the Irish Open. His previous best in this very event was when he landed at the 13th position, in the year 2009.
Donaldson started his last day with one stroke more than the leaders. The three consecutive birdies on the second, third and fourth hole put him in the lead.
The Welshman started off his back nine with a bogey, but later on managed to score five more birdies. The last bogey of his match on the 16th made his final score eighteen-under par.
He was four strokes adrift from Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Fabrizio Zanotti and Anthony Wall, all of whom finished at fourteen-under par.
This is Donaldson’s fifth professional win and his best performance yet on the European tour. Before this, his best performance was in 2009, when he finished second.
The win could move his name in the list of top-60 golfers in the official ranking. Prior to this tournament, he was standing at the 116th spot in the world.
This was Donaldson’s 255th appearance on the European Tour and his first win.
In an interview, after the Open was over, Donaldson said, “I guess it takes some people longer than others, and it's taken me a lot longer than I thought to win”.
"The first three years went too quickly and then I was out for a year with injury, so I didn't find my feet too soon after that, and then I lost my way a bit,'' he continued.
It has been a great week for the Welshman professional golfer, as he was able to qualify for the British Open at Sunningdale.
He also carded his first ever tour hole-in-one. “To have a hole in one the first time in a tournament, and to win it, as well, is very special,” he said.
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