Luiten wins in Wales

bruced
September 21, 2014

Joost Luiten showed nerves of steel as he recovered from a poor start to win his fourth European Tour title in the Wales Open on Sunday.

While the start to the final round was anything but convincing, his finish was equally nerve wreaking.

The man from the Netherlands enjoyed a two-shot lead at the start of play, but would bogey the first two holes before hitting back with three birdies, and another drop shot, on the back-nine for a final round 71.

“It was tough, it was hard work down the last,” Luiten told the Tour’s official website.

“I didn’t have the start I wanted with two bogeys and I just tried to hang in there and wait for my chances and made some nice birdies at the end and a par down the last was luckily enough.

“There’s always a lot of tension on the first hole – you try to settle down, try to make an easy par or birdie and then I left myself quite a tricky first putt and I just didn’t read it well. I didn’t give the right pace and you leave yourself an eight footer downhill left to right and that’s one you can make or miss and I missed it today.

“You just try to settle down the first couple holes, and after that, I got back into my game. I started to hit greens, and I just didn’t really make any putts in the middle part – luckily we made a couple at the back.”

Luiten finished one shot clear of England’s Tommy Fleetwood who had an equally strange finish to the day.

Fleetwood looked to be out of contention when he carded a double bogey on the 13th, but bounced back by chipping-in for birdie on the 14th and would also card an eagle – with three more birdies on his way home – for a final round 67.

Five players shared fourth place on 12 under, Ryder Cup debutant Jamie Donaldson carding a 67 to finish alongside Nicolas Colsaerts, Eddie Pepperell, Marc Warren, Edoardo Molinari.

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