McKibbin back in the money as Nolan wins Brabazon
Liam Nolan with the Brabazon Trophy. Picture: Leaderboard Photography
Rookie Tom McKibbin ended a run of three straight missed cuts with his seventh top-25 finish of the season in the KLM Open as former Irish teammate Liam Nolan claimed the Brabazon Trophy at Sunningdale.
Another weekend off would have seen the Holywood star (20) remain outside the top 100 in the Race to Dubai. But after making the cut with ease, he chiselled out a closing 72 at Bernardus Golf to tie for 21st on four-under and move up to 92nd in the season-long race.
Spain's Pablo Larrazábal (40) claimed his ninth DP World Tour win and his second this season when he recovered from a double bogey at the second and birdied three of his last four holes to win for the fourth time in 15 months.
He made a 21-footer for birdie at the 18th for a 69 and a two-shot win over compatriot Adrian Otaegui on 13-under-par.
"What a day," said Larrazábal. "To win golf tournaments, you have to make birdies at the end, and it doesn't matter how fast you run in the beginning; you have to run fast at the end to win the race. That's what I did."
Nolan (23) gave his Walker Cup chances a boost when he became just the fifth Irish winner of the Brabazon Trophy at Sunningdale New, etching his name alongside David Long (1979), Ronan Rafferty (1980, tied with Peter McEvoy), Niall Kearney (2009) and Cormac Sharvin (2015) when he beat West Herts' Zach Little with a par at the third extra hole.
He was five shots behind Roganstown sensation Sean Keeling (16) heading out, but as the teenager shot 76 to finish tied fourth on level par, Nolan birdied the last for a two-under 68 to match Little, who set a three-under-par target with a seven-under 63.
They went par-birdie at the first and 18th before Nolan chipped dead on their return to the first to claim his second win of the year following his victory in the South American Amateur in January.
It was also a great day for Italy's Matteo Manassero (30), who returned to the winner's circle on the tenth anniversary of his BMW PGA Championship win by claiming his maiden Challenge Tour title at the Copenhagen Challenge.
The Italian, a four-time DP World Tour winner, closed with a bogey-free, six-under 66 to win by a shot from South African Jarvis Casey on 12-under and move up to fifth in the Road to Mallorca standings.
"There are a lot of emotions," he said. "It has been ten years now since I won on Tour, so I guess May is a good time of the year for me.
Ballymena's Dermot McElroy was the best of the Irish, tied 13th on three-under after a 69, with Stuart Grehan tied 24th on one-under after a 71, Niall Kearney joint 60th on seven-over after a 72 and Paul Dunne 65th on 10-over after a 76.
