Garcia wins in Amsterdam; Sharvin secures fifth top-five in Portugal
Sergio Garcia shows off the KLM Open trophy in Amsterdam. Picture: Getty Images
Sergio Garcia showed he can still be a Ryder Cup force for skipper Pádraig Harrington when he claimed up his 16th European Tour win in the KLM Open in Amsterdam.
The former Masters champion (39) clinched a hard-fought victory at The International, closing with a three-under 69 to edge out rising Danish star Nicolai Højgaard (18) by one stroke on 18-under par. Scores
"I played well all week under pressure," Garcia said after winning €333,330 and overtaking Harrington and Thomas Bjorn for European Tour wins.
"It wasn't easy, there were a couple of tough moments today, but I hung on tough, that's the most important thing."
Garcia joins Seve Ballesteros (three times), Miguel Angel Jimenez, José María Olazábal and Gonzalo Fernandez Castaño on the list of Spanish winners in The Netherlands.
And while he has been a tough year for him in the course, starting with his ignominious disqualification for deliberately damaging several greens during the Saudi International in February, he's set to move to 32nd in the world today.
That means Europe's record points scorer is well-placed to challenge strongly for a tenth Ryder Cup cap when he tees it up in this week's BMW PGA at Wentworth for the start of the qualifying campaign for Harrington's team.
Matt Wallace, who is also expected to challenge for a spot on the plane to Whistling Straits, was third at 15-under with Harrington an encouraging 12th on nine-under after a final round 69.
Adrian Meronk. Image: Octávio Passos/GolfTattoo
Greystones' Paul Dunne birdied the 16th and eagled the 18th to finish 27th on seven-under after a 68, moving up to 101st in the Race to Dubai and onwards to Wentworth with positive feelings.
But it was a forgettable Sunday for Gavin Moynihan, however, as he slipped to 64th after taking 33 putts in a final round 79 that featured three double bogeys and just one birdie.
On the Challenge Tour, Moynihan’s 2015 Walker Cup teammate Cormac Sharvin had to settle for a share of fifth in the Open de Portugal.
The Ardglass native was one of four players tied for the overnight lead at Morgado Golf Resort.
But he never got going, and a level par 72 left him on 10-under, five strokes behind Adrian Meronk, who became the first Pole to win a Challenge Tour event.
Meronk (26) posted a six-under-par 66 on a scorching final day on the Algarve to win by two strokes from Spain's Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez.
“I couldn't be prouder of myself for being the first Polish winner on the Challenge Tour," Meronk said. "It feels amazing. I'm very pleased and very happy. What a day."
Meronk climbs 12 places to seventh in the Road to Mallorca Rankings with runner-up Garcia Rodriguez jumping 20 spots into 13th.
While his maiden win escaped him, Sharvin remained sixth in the Rankings and with just six events remaining he remains on course to win one of 15 European Tour cards after his fifth top-five of what has been a brilliant season.
Derry's Ruaidhri McGee shot 73 to slip to 25th on four-under and moved up just five spots to 69th in the Rankings while The Island’s Paul McBride is 126th after his 72 left him tied 31st on three-under.
West Waterford’s Gary Hurley picked up his first points of the season in Portugal where he was 61st on three-over after a 71.
Joaquin Niemann became the first Chilean to win on the PGA Tour after he claimed a six-shot victory in A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
Tied for the lead with ten holes to play, the 20-year-old made six back nine birdies in a six-under 64 at White Sulphur Springs to become jus the third player born outside the United States to win on the PGA Tour before turning 21 in the last 95 years.
