Seapoint success for Da Silva
Adilson da Silva (pictured above by Phil Inglis) claimed his sixth Legends Tour title at Seapoint Golf Links winning the OFX Irish Legends after three holes of play-off drama with Sweden’s Patrik Sjöland.
Paul Lawrie led by two shots coming into the final day, however, he would drop a shot at the second hole while his playing partner Patrik Sjöland was making birdie.
Three further birdies each for the pair of them before the turn would ensure that they headed into the back nine in a share of the lead and setting up a battle coming down the stretch.
A double-bogey seven at the tenth hole would see him drop out of top spot though, needing to chase down Sjöland – as the Swede made par to put himself into a two-shot lead.
The chasing pack were trying to apply pressure where they could on a bright, but breezy day in County Louth.
Mikael Lundberg has already recorded two third-placed finishes on the Legends Tour already this season, in Barbados and Greece, and was in the same position through 13 holes of his final round in Ireland as he got to 4-under-par for the day.
He would pick up one more shot in his round of 68 to reach five-under for the week.
Angel Cabrera, who won a week earlier on the Legends Tour, was level-par at the halfway stage before making birdies on three of his next four holes.
He would eventually sign for a Saturday 67 to end the week on six under.
The defending champion, Peter Baker, was enduring a mixed day on the course – a front nine which included an eagle, two birdies, one bogey and a double-bogey! He would card a final round of 69 to also end at six-under
Da Silva carded four consecutive birdies around the turn as he moved into a share of third place with seven holes to play.
The Brazilian went in to card a 67 to post a clubhouse target of seven-under.
Paul Lawrie left himself tough up and down at the last to reach the same target.
But his putt from 12 feet drifted by the right edge and he would have to settle for a final day 73, ending the tournament on six-under
Patrik Sjöland reached the final green in a swale on the front edge, knowing an up and down would secure him the title.
He would catch his wedge a little thin and then two-putt to only match Da Silva on seven-under with a 70.
The parred the par-5 18th at the first time of asking, Da Silva missing an 8-foot putt to win, while at the second attempt both men hit the same advertising banner with their approach shots.
From the thick, knee-high rough the pair of them played impressive shots, Da Silva the closer, but both would two-putt and then return to the 18th tee for a third attempt to find a victor.
It was third time lucky for the Brazilian, as he holed a 12-foot putt for a birdie at the third extra hole to seal the win.
“It's like, wow, everything just came on so quickly!” he said.
“It's just wonderful to win again. I've been practicing so hard, sometimes the game just keeps knocking you down and we start to feel that as players, and you think there’s something wrong with you.
“This week was about hanging in there, it was playing kind of tricky for everybody. I was hanging in there on the first nine and in the back nine things felt like it came on.”
