Hot Stewart denies Selfridge and McGee in Madrid

Duncan Stewart. Picture: Golfsupport.nl

Chris Selfridge is 20th in the Road to Oman standings and Ruaidhri McGee a promising  29th after they secured Top 10 finishes in the Challenge de Madrid.

The Ulster pair were seeking their maiden wins on the Challenge Tour but they could only take the hats off to Scotland’s Duncan Stewart, who claimed an emphatic maiden victory of his own thanks to a fantastic final round 66 at Real Club de Golf La Herreria.

Selfridge went into the final round in the Spanish capital just one stroke behind leader Pep Angles with Rosapenna touring professional McGee four back in 12th.

But neither man could produce the fireworks required to secure the €27,200 top prize with Selfridge posting three birdies and three bogeys in a third successive 70 to share fourth on four under, four strokes behind the winner.

The Moyola Park player won € 7,140 while McGee’s reward was € 3,400 as he shot a 68 featuring four birdies and two bogeys for a share of ninth in an event where he was runner up last year.

Stewart, who was playing on an invitation, made five birdies in his four under par 66, holding his nerve to par the last and remain one ahead of clubhouse leader Ben Stow.

“I don’t think it will sink in for a couple of days but it was a massive relief,” the 31-year old said. 

“Not having full status this year I was on an invite this week and I can’t thank Bounce sports enough for all their support.

“I was hoping the weather would be the same as yesterday as David Law and I know how to play in the wind so it was right up our street. 

"I just wanted to get off to a good start and I made a birdie on the first both days so that set me up well.

“Then I just played absolutely fantastic – up there with the best I have ever played. I would have been pretty disappointed if I didn’t manage to sneak it over the line.

“I holed a really nice putt on 14 after missing a short one on 13 which got me two in front. I then hit two of the worst shots I had hit all day on 15 so I had to take a recovery and I holed a ten footer for par which was massive. I think if I had missed that it would have changed things a lot.

“I wouldn’t say I didn’t see this coming but I am glad I took my chance to win as you get so few opportunities to win out here."

Close behind Stewart was Stow who set the pace on day four in the Spanish capital after signing for a four under par 66 to reach seven under par overall.

Overnight leader Pep Angles, who finished tied 19th at the Real Club Valderrama Open de España, Hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation last month on the European Tour, finished two back from Stewart after carding a one under par 69 – enough for him to be the highest-placed Spaniard in the field.

Headfort's Brian Casey tied for 58th on 10 over after a closing 73 and is 119th in the Road to Oman after two starts.

Challenge de Madrid, Real Club de Golf La Herreria (Par 70)

272 D Stewart (Sco) 69 66 71 66, 

273 B Stow (Eng) 70 68 69 66, 

274 P Angles (Esp) 66 72 67 69, 

276 Chris Selfridge (Nir) 66 70 70 70, C Hanson (Eng) 71 66 69 70, M Pavon (Fra) 68 68 72 68, F Laporta (Ita) 64 69 77 66, L Gagli (Ita) 69 66 71 70, 

277 C Balmaseda (Esp) 70 71 68 68, D Law (Sco) 68 66 73 70, A Garcia-Heredia (Esp) 68 70 73 66, J Stalter (Fra) 70 69 74 64, E Dubois (Fra) 71 65 72 69, Ruaidhri McGee (Irl) 67 69 73 68, 

278 J Dantorp (Swe) 68 73 69 68, R Saxton (Ned) 66 73 71 68, J Guerrier (Fra) 69 69 71 69, S Soderberg (Swe) 68 66 76 68, 

279 M Lampert (Ger) 72 68 71 68, A Pavan (Ita) 71 69 68 71, R Evans (Eng) 68 73 70 68, F Fritsch (Ger) 70 68 77 64, 

280 O Farr (Wal) 70 67 75 68, B Rusch (Sui) 71 65 70 74, M Tullo (Chi) 73 66 76 65, J Colomo (Esp) 65 72 74 69, 

281 P Whiteford (Sco) 70 67 73 71, W Besseling (Ned) 71 65 74 71, R Langasque (Fra) 69 66 75 71, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 67 73 71 70, P Oriol (Esp) 69 67 75 70, 

282 D Gaunt (Aus) 69 69 71 73, S Arnold (Aus) 73 67 72 70, G King (Eng) 69 67 74 72, E Goya (Arg) 69 72 74 67, 

283 M Søgaard (Den) 69 68 76 70, H Joannes (Bel) 69 71 73 70, J Van Der Vaart (Ned) 71 69 76 67, A Karlsson (Swe) 72 69 74 68, J Smith (Eng) 70 68 75 70, T Ferrer (Esp) 69 71 74 69, P Maddy (Eng) 69 70 74 70, E Kofstad (Nor) 69 67 78 69, 

284 S Hodgson (Eng) 73 67 74 70, D Bransdon (Aus) 68 71 74 71, 

285 C Mivis (Bel) 68 73 76 68, N Geyger (Chi) 70 70 77 68, J Lima (Por) 73 68 69 75, J Garcia Del Moral (Esp) 70 70 79 66, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 69 70 76 70, R Enoch (Wal) 67 67 79 72, D Foos (Ger) 69 72 75 69, 

286 E Larrañaga (Esp) 71 70 76 69, 

288 J Barnes (Eng) 73 68 77 70, C Bouniol (Fra) 69 70 77 72, J Sjöholm (Swe) 68 72 71 77, N Quintarelli (Ita) 68 71 75 74, 

290 R Santos (Por) 68 71 75 76, Brian Casey (Irl) 70 70 77 73, J Loughrey (Eng) 69 72 74 75, 

293 C Koerbler (Aut) 71 70 76 76, 

294 C Costilla (Arg) 70 71 80 73, J White (Eng) 73 67 79 75, 

295 M Palmer (RSA) 73 68 81 73, 

 DQ M Lafeber (Ned) 71 68 74 DQ, 

CUT (141)

142 Gary Hurley (Irl) 73 69

144 Kevin Phelan (Irl) 71 73