Callum Shinkwin paid tribute to caddy Sam Robertshawe after sealing his maiden European Tour win in the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open, beating Kalle Samooja in a play-off. Pictures by GETTY IMAGES

HERTFORDSHIRE’S Callum Shinkwin defeated Kalle Samooja in a play-off to win his first European Tour title after a dramatic final day at the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open.

Shinkwin holed an incredible 54-foot putt for eagle on the 18th in regulation to get into a play-off as the three gave him the clubhouse lead on 20-under.

After his maiden European Tour win at the 112th attempt, Shinkwin paid tribute to his caddy Sam Robertshawe, a former Hampshire Junior Champion.

The Army GC member, who went on to win on the EuroPro Tour after missing out in the Hampshire County Championship final back in 2012, has made Shinkwin a better greens reader, he told Sky Sports’ Warren Humphreys.

Callum explained: “I try not to change caddies at all, really, but changed caddies this year to try to help me on the greens more.

“I’ve done that with Sam. He’s a great green reader with his own method.

“I’ve trusted him and he’s basically taught me how to read greens better.

“This week I think I’ve called on him eight times and I’ve holed seven putts from there and obviously holed a lot more reading myself as well, which is obviously really good.”

Shinkwin salutes his play-off win with caddie Sam Robertshawe at Aphrodite Hills

Victory makes up for Rafa heartache

SHINKWIN’S victory heralds a return to form for the 27-year-old, who lost his card in 2018 after the heartache of coming so close to a Rolex Series victory at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.

He lost to Rafa Cabrera-Bello in a play-off when a par on the 72nd hole would have handed him the title.

In far happier scenes on TV, Shinkwin was able to see his wife and young son via a video link in an emotional reunion by the 18th green.

When asked what winning meant to him and his young family, Shinkwin said: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and now I have. It’s been a bit of a shock, but it feels great.

“I’ve had to trust myself more than anything. I had to make a few changes and obviously it’s worked out for the best,” said Callum who first earned his European Tour card after finishing in the top 15 on the Challenge Tour in 2015.

“Dug deep in 2019 and got my card back, and this year obviously with what has gone on,” he added. “I’m happy to win.

“I felt relaxed all day. I felt great to be fair – 15 and 16 were playing me up all week,” said Shinkwin, who beat Matt Fitzpatrick in the final when winning the English Amateur Championship at Frilford Heath, in 2013.

The new champion speaking to his young son after winning the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open

Shinkwin admits to nerves over closing holes

“I was more nervous playing those two holes just to get through them than in the play-off or on the 18th,” Shinkwin said. “I managed to get through them really well and I felt great.”

The pro attached to Moor Park GC was two shots behind the Finn as he stood on the 17th tee.

And while a birdie there edged him closer, his chances of victory looked slim when he found rough off the tee at the par five last.

His second shot over the water took him to the edge of the putting surface to set up his miraculous eagle to force a play-off with the Finn, after shooting a course record 63.

Samooja left himself an eagle chance from almost exactly the same spot.

But a two-putt birdie meant the European Tour’s first-ever visit to Cyprus ended in extra holes at Aphrodite Hills Resort.

Shinkwin found the greenside bunker with his second shot at the first trip back up the last, with the approach over the intimidating water skirting the length of the last hole at Cyprus’ PGA National course.

The boys from Bushey, who won the Carris Trophy in 2010 and played in the Walker Cup three years later, got up-and-down for a birdie, with Samooja’s three-putt from the fringe sealing Shinkwin’s first win.

Welshman Jamie Donaldson, South African Garrick Higgo and Scot Robert MacIntyre finished two shots out of the play-off places on 18-under.

The trio were one clear of Australian Jason Scrivener, Finn Sami Välimäki and Essex’s Dale Whitnell, who enjoyed his best finish since the Betfred British Masters at Close House, in July.

Kalle Samooja lines up his birdie putt on the 18th which forced the play-off with Shinkwin

•To see the final scores at Aphrodite Hills click here.

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Moor Park’s Callum Shinkwin put his recent back problem behind him to lead after the first round in the 100th KLM Open, in Holland. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

MOOR Park’s Callum Shinkwin carded a superb six-under par 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the 100^th edition of the KLM Open.

The Hertfordshire player sits 126th in the Race to Dubai rankings and 446th in the Official World Golf Rankings – but belied his status to lead a large chasing pack at The International.

Shinkwin said: “My golf as of late has not been great, as has my health as well, but the golf… is still not there, still very uncomfortable – but I managed to turn it round and shoot a good round of 66.

“I caught food poisoning back in Sweden – it can happen anywhere – but I caught it there and couldn’t get up on that Friday morning

“And then I’ve had a bit of a bad back as well. My back went last week and I thought the best thing to do it to walk in and basically have the weekend off and recover.

The former Walker Cup player, who claimed the Hampshire Hog at North Hants GC, in 2012, and then took the Hampshire Salver a year later when he went on to face the USA at New York’s Long Island, revealed that despite the illness and injuries, he has been battling to get back to the form that saw him lose a play-off with Rafa Cabrera Bello at the 2017 Scottish Open.

Shinkwin said: “Just working hard really. Been down the range, working on what I needed to work on. I wasn’t hitting the ball very well, that’s probably why the back wasn’t great.

“But I’m just working hard and if I’m feeling uncomfortable then that means I’m doing the right things.”

The 26-year-old reached the turn in 32 courtesy of an eagle, three birdies and one dropped shot before a blemish free back nine – which included two gains – help him to the top of the leaderboard.

Malaysian Gavin Green made a trademark fast start to finish on five-under, with Shinkwin’s playing partner Swede Per Langfors carding 67 to sit alongside Scot Marc Warren, Dane Nicolai Højgaard, and Englishmen Chris Paisley, Sam Horsfield and Matthew Southgate at five-under.

The 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia led a group of eight players one shot further adrift at four-under after signing for a bogey-free 68 on a low scoring morning in the Netherlands.

Garcia said: “It was nice. Obviously, the conditions got a little bit trickier in the last six or seven holes with the wind picking up a little bit. Before that it was quite nice, so I am happy with that.

“The experience yesterday wasn’t very good in the pro-am with the rain and my neck was a little bit stiff, but we are playing through it and hopefully it won’t creep up on me throughout the week.

“The course is nice, the greens are very nice and rolling at a nice speed, so it is a good-looking golf course with big greens and a lot of movement.

“I need a little bit more of the same thing I did today. Just keep working on the confidence and keep working hard like I have been doing, and hopefully I will have a chance this week.”

Defending champion Wu Ashun was one of 10 players at three-under, including two-time KLM Open winner and playing partner Joost Luiten, who came home in a remarkable 30 after carding his opening front nine in three-over.

Luiten, who is going for a hat-trick of wins in his national Open during its centenary, said: “I felt like my mindset changed a little bit.

“I was three-over after nine and I thought alright, I am just going to go for every flag now, I can’t play safe anymore.

“I was playing a bit too safe on the front nine and that is where the mistakes came from and started to steer the ball a little bit away from the flags.

“Once you get the birdies going you get in the zone and then you don’t really realise what is going on around you.

“You just want to make more birdies, and it’s great that it happened. To make six, I created enough chances to make birdies and that is what you need to do on a course like this.”

•For live scoring in the KLM Open click here.

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Scot Stephen Gallacher claimed his first win in five years at the age of 44 at the Hero Indian Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

STEPHEN Gallacher birdied three of his last four holes to produce a stunning comeback and win his first European Tour title in five years at the Hero Indian Open.

The Scot had shared the first round lead but a second round 74 saw him slip back and his chances looked doomed when he made a quadruple bogey eight on the seventh hole on Sunday.

The lead kept moving backwards on a windy day at DLF Golf and Country Club, but as he stood on the 15th tee, Gallacher still looked an outside bet facing one of the toughest closing stretches on the Race to Dubai because of that snowman on the seventh.

The 2014 Ryder Cup star knows a thing or two about performing under pressure, however.

And he took advantage of the par five before hitting stunning approaches into the 17th and last to claim his first win since the second of back to back Omega Dubai Desert Classic titles in 2014.

On Mother’s Day back in his native Scotland, it was a father and son show in New Delhi, with son Jack caddying for Gallacher this season in what is likely to be a permanent move for the duo.

A closing 71 moved the 44-year-old to nine-under and gave him a one-shot win over Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, with Spaniard Jorge Campillo a further shot back.

A delighted Gallacher said: “Today the wind was swirling and the course was playing really tough.

“I was three behind the lead at the start of the day and got off to quite a solid start and then I hit a quadruple-bogey on hole seven. I was pretty calm at that point of time, I stood on the eighth tee and saw I was only five shots behind.

“I told myself to stick to the game and you never know what can happen. Especially with how hard it was playing and I came back three-under in the last four holes.

“I thought, ‘just hang in there’. When I birdied 15 I saw that Julian Suri had come back and then when I got to the 16th green I was tied for the lead. I just tried to finish as strong as I could, and I did that.

“Thankfully it was enough. I am 45 this year so I am really proud of what I did out here today. It changes my schedule and I can play a bit less and it was great to win with my son Jack on the bag.

“He has caddied for me 20 events already. It has been a great day. It was great to have him on the bag and Mother’s Day as well makes it even more special.”

Masahiro Kawamura, who has one win to his name on the Asian Tour back in 2013, admitted feeling nervous coming down the stretch. He said: “The round was very good especially in such tough conditions.

“I wasn’t playing very well in the front nine and was struggling on a lot of the holes and I had some missed shots, but the back nine I played very well.

“The course was tough today, but I managed to come back.

“Coming into the last two holes and seeing my name on the leaderboad, I was really nervous,” said the Asian Tour winner, who claimed the 11^th card at the European Tour School, in November, at Spain’s Lumine GC.

Kawamura added: “I knew how important the final hole was and I hit a good shot but was just unlucky.

“Last year I finished second three times on the Japan Tour, lost by one shot twice and once in a play-off. Now I finished second by one shot this time again.”

American Julian Suri had led by three after 12 holes but produced a quadruple bogey of his own on the treacherous 14th to slip back, and he finished alongside South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout at six-under.

Bezuidenhout made six birdies and two bogeys in a 68 that handed him a third top 10 in four events and he finished three shots off the lead, one ahead of fellow South Africans George Coetzee and Erik van Rooyen, Spaniard Nacho Elvira and Hertfordshire’s Callum Shinkwin.

Finn Kalle Samooja made the third hole-in-one of the week with a pitching wedge from 139 yards on the 12th for the eighth ace of the season.

The post Gallacher survives snowman to become Indian Open Hero appeared first on Golf North.

A second successive 67 by New Yorker Julian Suri sees the Made in Denmark winner top of leaderboard at the Hero Indian Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JULIAN Suri fired a second consecutive round of 67 to take a two-shot lead into the weekend at the Hero Indian Open.

The American was heading home on Friday night 12 months ago at DLF Golf and Country Club after posting 76-82… but he was 24 shots better off than that this time around at 10-under par.

Suri is playing just his second event of the season after undergoing surgery on an abdominal hernia.

But the New Yorker showed he was in fine health in New Delhi, picking up six shots in as many holes from the first to surge clear in the morning session.

Suri said: “I put the foot down, but I had the same mindset I had really on the first nine.

“I hit it really well the whole day and I just tried to free it up a little bit on the second nine with my putting.

“I hit a lot of good shots and gave myself a ton of chances on the first nine and none of them dropped, particularly with speed and not hitting them hard enough.

“So, just try to free it up and putt with feel like I normally do.

“I am hitting quite a few drivers. Driver is probably the most comfortable club in the bag for me so I am being pretty aggressive and with the greens being somewhat softer than what they were last year.

“I am coming into the greens with a lot of wedges and pitch shots and stuff, so you can score when you are in a good spot.

“I’ve been playing well, and I knew I was playing well even though the score didn’t show it after the first nine, so just had to keep plugging away and staying patient.”

South African George Coetzee finished his round with three birdies to sit at eight-under alongside Swede Robert Karlsson, who ended his day with gains on the 17th and 18th.

Karlsson, who made back-to-back eagles in the first round said: “It was good. I got off to a really good start.

“I was a bit lucky on the fourth, the pin was in a tricky position but I hit a good shot and it just rolled up behind the green and came back to just a foot. So it ended up being a gimme eagle.

“But there was some very good stuff and I am happy with a couple of birdies to finish off.

“I haven’t been in this position for a long time, so I am staying very humble over the weekend.

“I am just trying to do what I am doing, and pretty much looking at this golf course as just a great test to see what I need to do better.

“I’ve worked hard on my game over the last half year, changed coach (Hans Larsson) and things like that, so it feels like I am heading forward.

“But on this golf course a lot of things can happen quickly and even if it does, I am still showing signs, I have put in a bunch of good rounds lately.”

Coetzee who is looking for his first win since last year’s Tshwane Open, said: “Obviously a little easier today then what I have been playing this course back in the past, but I had fun today, hit some really nice shots and made some nice putts.

“It didn’t look like it was going to be birdie-birdie-birdie finish after my tee shot on 15. But I got my head back in a good space and hit some good shots from there.

“I really enjoy the course, it’s probably one of the prettiest courses we play, and the greens are amazing so there is nothing to complain about.

“I will just take it as it comes and try and stay positive and play golf.”

Hertfordshire’s Callum Shinkwin, from Moor Park, and Australian Scott Hend were then at seven-under after firing the only bogey free rounds of the week so far.

Fifty-three-year old Thai Prayad Marksaeng was at six-under, a shot clear of Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura and Sri Lankan N Thangaraja, with Finn Mikko Korhonen, Scot Richie Ramsay, England’s Robert Rock and Austrian Matthias Schwab six shots off the lead.

There were two holes-in-one on Friday – taking the season’s tally to seven – as Om Pratash Chouhan holed a six-iron on the fifth and Daniel Nisbet holed a four-iron on the third.

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