McGrane has warm feeling despite cold putter
Damien McGrane. Picture: David Lloyd / www.golffile.ieDamien McGrane might have failed to win his second tour title but he still had a warm feeling inside despite being scuppered by a cold putter on the final day of the KLM Open.
The 42-year old Kells man confessed he was simply “treading water” all day as he finished in a four-way tie for third, three shots outside a play-off for the title between playing partners Miguel Angel Jimenez and Holland’s Joost Luiten.
In the end, victory went to the local man on an historic day for Dutch golf as Luiten’s win can just minutes after his compatriot Daan Huizing had won the Kharkov Superior Cup on the Challenge Tour.
Luiten delighted the huge crowds at Kennemer Golf and Country Club by beating Jiménez with a par at the first extra hole, denying the 49-year old Spaniard his 20th European Tour win.
As for McGrane, he closed with a one under 69 to share third with the English duo of Simon Dyson (68) and Ross Fisher (66) and France’s Grégory Havret (66).
A cheque for € 85,500 was consolation enough for McGrane, who was outside the Top 100 in the Race to Dubai just three weeks ago.
Following his sixth place finish at Celtic Manor and Sunday’s share of third in Zanvoort, the Kells man is now 71st with €331,129, “just” €78,766 outside the TOp-60 who get to play the season ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
“I’m very satisfied,” McGrane said. “Joost and Miguel played lovely today and just got a few shots ahead of me early on.
“My putter was a bit cold today. I had plenty of reasonable opportunities but I just wasn’t polishing them off and you needed to hole them all out there to catch those boys. But I played nicely all week and I am very content.”
Just two strokes behind Luiten and only one behind Jimenez starting the day, McGrane soon found himself trailing.
Jimenez went out in 32 to Luiten’s 34 and McGrane’s one under 35 and never got back on touch.
Still, there is a lot to play for this season with a place in the DP World Tour Championship still at stake.
“I struggled a little on the greens today - struggled to read them and they didn’t fall in - so I didn’t make enough birdies, I was treading water most of the day to be honest.
“I am very pleased and played enough good golf to be up there. I have been playing reasonably well lately so needless to say I am hoping for…. more to come. I just want to keep pressing forward. So, on to Italy, Tuesday morning early.”
Joost Luiten with the KLM Open trophy. Picture © Getty ImagesJimenez bogeyed the 15th and 17th to go to the last tied for the lead with Luiten.
After both players had parred the last to finish tied on 12 under par – Jiménez courtesy of a round of 67 and Luiten a 68 – they returned to the 18th tee for the play-off.
Having leaked his tee shot right on the 400 yard par four, Jimenez needed a fairway wood for his approach into a strong wind, but managed to find the front edge of the green.
However, he charged his birdie putt six feet past the hole and then missed the return, leaving Luiten to hole from three feet for a par four and a victory which earned him €300,000.
That moved Luiten to 11th in The Race to Dubai and also saw him climb into the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.
He said: “I’ll never forget this day, that’s for sure. I came second here in 2007, which was a pretty special week. But this has topped that by quite a way. To win your national Open is an unbelievable feeling, I’m so proud.”
Typically magnanimous and philosophical in defeat, Jimenez said: “I was very solid all day but made a couple of mistakes in the play-off, and got punished. But Joost played very well, so credit to him. He’s a deserving winner.”
Shane Lowry went into the final round with an outside chance, five off the pace. But he bogeyed the first and third and eventually carded a three over 73 to slip from ninth to tied 26th on two over.
Paul McGinley bogeyed the last two holes for a 71 to slip to 30th on one under while David Higgins (71) was 58th, Simon Thornton (72) 63rd and rookie Kevin Phelan (74) 67th.
Playing in his first event as a professional, Phelan bogeyed his last two holes but earned his first cheque for €3,457.
As for the Race to Dubai, Ireland has just x players inside the Top 60 - Graeme McDowell (2nd), Lowry (44th) and Rory McIlroy (54th).
Padraig Harrington slipped from 60th to 64th with McGrane (71st), Gareth Maybin (82nd), Michael Hoey (88t), Peter Lawrie (106th), Darren Clarke (128th), McGinley (133rd), Thornton (135th), Gareth Shaw (136th), Higgins (163rd) and Alan Dunbar (190th).
Final scores
268 J Luiten (Ned) 69 65 66 68, M Jiménez (Esp) 64 67 70 67,
271 G Havret (Fra) 67 70 68 66, D McGrane (Irl) 65 70 67 69, R Fisher (Eng) 69 68 68 66, S Dyson (Eng) 69 63 71 68,
272 J Quesne (Fra) 67 65 70 70,
273 S Kjeldsen (Den) 68 67 72 66,
274 P Larrazábal (Esp) 65 66 77 66, D Horsey (Eng) 71 66 70 67,
275 E Grillo (Arg) 72 66 69 68, R Allenby (Aus) 65 71 68 71, M Carlsson (Swe) 68 69 69 69, O Fisher (Eng) 67 65 71 72, M Jonzon (Swe) 70 65 73 67,
276 T Aiken (RSA) 72 64 74 66, M Fraser (Aus) 67 71 72 66, M Nixon (Eng) 69 65 73 69, D Fichardt (RSA) 70 68 68 70, P Waring (Eng) 70 68 69 69, E De La Riva (Esp) 68 71 71 66,
277 R Ramsay (Sco) 70 68 75 64, A Quiros (Esp) 72 64 71 70, E Kofstad (Nor) 69 66 73 69, B Koepka (USA) 70 66 71 70,
278 M Manassero (Ita) 70 68 74 66, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 67 74 66, H Otto (RSA) 68 67 69 74, S Lowry (Irl) 69 68 68 73,
279 S Wakefield (Eng) 68 67 73 71, F Zanotti (Par) 65 73 71 70, M Foster (Eng) 68 70 71 70, P McGinley (Irl) 68 67 73 71, T Fleetwood (Eng) 70 68 74 67, R Green (Aus) 70 66 73 70, T Pieters (Bel) 68 70 71 70, O Floren (Swe) 66 73 67 73, D Drysdale (Sco) 69 64 74 72, C Paisley (Eng) 68 68 73 70, A Levy (Fra) 73 65 72 69,
280 P Casey (Eng) 68 71 68 73, D Howell (Eng) 65 70 74 71, R Bland (Eng) 67 71 68 74, L Jensen (Den) 72 66 71 71, R Karlberg (Swe) 70 67 72 71,
281 R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 69 67 72 73, J Olazábal (Esp) 69 68 76 68, W Ashun (Chn) 69 68 69 75, M Ilonen (Fin) 71 66 69 75,
282 S Henry (Sco) 69 69 73 71, W Besseling (Ned) 67 71 71 73, J Jin (Kor) 67 71 71 73, S Benson (Eng) 69 70 76 67, G Orr (Sco) 65 70 75 72, A Marshall (Eng) 69 67 74 72,
283 A Snobeck (Fra) 68 66 73 76, M Baldwin (Eng) 69 70 74 70,
284 D Higgins (Irl) 72 67 74 71, J Campillo (Esp) 71 63 79 71, C Cévaër (Fra) 70 69 74 71, F Aguilar (Chi) 69 68 73 74, P Meesawat (Tha) 67 70 73 74,
285 R Finch (Eng) 69 69 73 74, R Coles (Eng) 69 70 75 71, S Thornton (Irl) 70 68 75 72, R Caron (am) (Ned) 73 65 73 74,
286 P Hedblom (Swe) 71 66 74 75, S Jamieson (Sco) 69 68 74 75, K Phelan (Irl) 71 68 73 74, A Cañizares (Esp) 69 68 76 73, L Gagli (Ita) 70 69 76 71, B Åkesson (Swe) 71 67 71 77,
287 R Santos (Por) 70 69 77 71, J Lagergren (Swe) 73 65 75 74,
288 A Tadini (Ita) 72 67 74 75, R Rock (Eng) 69 69 78 72, M Delpodio (Ita) 68 71 77 72,
289 C Lloyd (Eng) 69 69 79 72.