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Jorge Campillo putting the lights out denies Drysdale the win after 498 attempts

Andrew Griffin — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 18:00:27 +0000

Jorge Campillo claimed his second European Tour win at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Education City Golf Club, denying David Drysdale at the fifth play-off hole.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JORGE Campillo holed three monster birdie putts to defeat David Drysdale in an extraordinary play-off to win his second European Tour title at the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

First he holed from 25-feet after finding sand off the tee with the veteran Scott having a makeable putt from just six feet.

Then Campillo then watched a 20-footer drop for an unlikely three at the second play-off hole – this time Drysdale, who had not recorded a win in 497 European Tour starts, was inside four feet under the hole.

With his wife Vicky on the bag, Drysdale could only grin as the Spaniard celebrated another unlikely birdie before the pair shared a fist bump as they headed back to the 18th tee.

Both men made routine pars on the third and fourth play-off holes and were given a buggy to make their way down the fairway as the light began to fade at Doha’s Education City, the new host for the Qatar Masters.

Another putt from beyond 20 feet brought Campillo a birdie. And when Drysdale missed from similar range, Campillo was a two-time winner in his 250th event after five extra trips up the last.

A delighted Campillo said: “I’m just so proud right now of the way I played in the play-off.

“I hardly missed a shot and I was able to make some putts. I’m very thankful for everyone that helped me and Callaway with the new material that helped me a lot.

“I played not so good on the first few holes and then in the middle of the round I played okay,” said the overnight leader.

“Apart from 17, I was solid. You know how the mind works, I wasn’t expecting to make a bogey on 16, on that tee shot I was comfortable.

“But I was a little bit scared of the driver on 17. I missed it there and then I hit a bad putt, I don’t normally hit bad putts from off the green.

“I knew I was still in the game and I was able to pull it off. I hit some good shots coming in the middle of the round.

“But you have to be patient – you have to try hard. I knew I was going to make some putts,” added the runner-up in last year’s event, who had made a slow start to the 2020 season.

“It was a tough win but I’m glad I pulled it off. It’s been tough. I didn’t get to practise that much, too many things to do.

“Getting married and then the honeymoon,” explained Jorge Campilllo.

“New caddie, new clubs so everything was a little different, my game was a little off, but I knew that with practice I would get to where I was.”

The fact that the pair made four birides in the play-off on course designer Jose-Maria Olazabal’s testing 18th hole was testament to the pair’s play – only two birdies were made on the last in regulation by the 77-strong field on Sunday.

“Three birdies out of six on 18 to win is something to be proud of,” added the new champion.

“It’s a great par four, 18. A tough hole. David was hitting some great shots into the hole and I had to make some putts,” added Campillo, who was ranked Spain’s No. 1 amateur for six years having won the Big Ten triple crown in 2008, while at Indiana University.

Late bogeys sent Qatar into play-off

THE Spaniard held a two-shot lead with two holes to play as Drysdale and Denmark’s Jeff Winter tried to close the gap in the hunt for their maiden victories.

But a dropped shot on the 16h followed by a double bogey on the 17th dropped Jorge Campillo – the winner of the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco, just under a year ago, back to 13-under.

There was one more twist however, as the long-time leader left his 25-feet birdie attempt on the 18th in the jaws of the hole.

And that meant the European Tour went to extra holes for the second week in a row in the Middle East.

Jorge Campillo had to wait 229 events for his first European Tour victory but has now won in consecutive seasons.

For Drysdale, it was the 498th European Tour event without a win and a fourth runner-up finish – the last had been at the 2018 Alfred Dunhill Championship, in South Africa.

Winther bogeyed the 16th and 17th to finish one shot out of the play-off alongside Swede Niklas Lemke and Finn Kalle Samooja, who was looking to cash in on the success of rookie Sami Valimaki, who became the fourth Finnish player to win on Tour in Oman last week.

Lemke shot a best-of-day 65 – matched by Gavin Green – while Alexander Björk was at 11-under.

That was a shot clear of fellow countryman Marcus Kinhult as both Swedes chased their second wins on Tour.

Italy’s Nino Bertasio – who closed with a 66 – South African George Coetzee, Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal and England’s Chris Paisley also finished on 10-under.

•For final scores in Qatar click here.

The post Jorge Campillo putting the lights out denies Drysdale the win after 498 attempts appeared first on Golf North.

Sullivan’s perfect 10-under gets him into lead in Qatar as Jorge Campillo chases

Andrew Griffin — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 17:44:06 +0000

Andy Sullivan is tied at the top of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters leaderboard alongside Spaniard Jorge Campillo after the Nuneaton GC member shot his second 66 in Dhoa. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JORGE Campillo and Andy Sullivan shared the lead heading into the weekend at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

But they have a host of European Tour winners breathing down their necks at Education City Golf Club – the new venue for the event which has been a cornerstone of the European Tour’s Desert Swings for 20 years.

Sullivan – looking for his first European Tour title since he claimed three in 2015 to earn his Ryder Cup place in 2016 – took advantage of the low winds in the morning to fire a second consecutive 66 to get to 10-under.

And it looked for a long time as if the man from Nuneaton Golf Club would not be caught at the top of a congested leaderboard.

Sullivan, whose maiden win came at the South African Open early in the 2015 season, said: “I’ve got it under lock at the moment.

“I feel like I am control of myself, which is the most important thing for me, I really felt like I took my time a little bit more on shots and stuff.

“When I have been doing well before I generally rush the shot, maybe try to hit it a bit quickly.

“So I have been trying to take my time a little bit more and be a bit more composed over the shot trying to hit it to the right areas,” said the 33-year-old from Warwickshire, who won the Selborne Salver by shooting at record 60 at Blackmoor GC, in 2011.

“I’ve not been super aggressive the past two days and I have holed a couple of putts to keep me in it.

“So like I said yesterday, it’s just about being patient and that is what I have been doing the past two days,” said Sullivan, who stacked shelves at Asda 10 years ago to earn money to support his amateur golf career.

“I feel like I have grown up a little bit now on the golf course. You know I think that having a laugh on the course is all well and good – and I still enjoy it.

“But for me, I have really had to knuckle down the past two days to keep myself in check because there are times when I find myself wondering.

“It has been difficult, and it is something new for me, trying to keep focused for so long. Normally I drift in and out a little bit.

“But it’s been really good and positive signs as the golf has been really good,” added Sulllivan, who also recorded three wins in a season as an amateur in 2010 – winning the Hampshire Salver, the Lagonda Trophy and the Midland Amateur Championship.

But just when it looked like Sullivan might lead the tournament heading into the weekend, Jorge Campillo went blemish free in posting his own 66 to also get into double figures and join Sullivan in top spot.

“I’ve worked on a few things over the last week and in Oman, said Jorge Campillo.

“It’s working out good and I’m putting great as well – I’ve been putting awfully lately – and it’s been a great two days.

“It’s a nice position to be in going into the weekend. Hopefully I can play like this and if I do, I’m going to have a good chance to win on Sunday.”

•Jorge Campillo is due to defend his Trophee Hassan II title at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, which he won in April last year, when the event moves to its new date in June.

Björk goes lowest at Education City

SWEDEN’S Alexander Björk carded the lowest round of the week and his European Tour career with a course record 63 to sit at nine-under.

Björk, whose maiden win came in the 2018 Volvo China Open, said: “I have been struggling a lot lately, but I have been starting to feel last week that the game was getting a bit better.

“I played quite good yesterday but did not get the putts to drop, so I don’t know.

“I just got in a really good flow from the start, hitting almost every fairway, kind of firing at the pins so it just felt really good.

“I took advantage of the really calm weather and when you feel like the swing is really there, and there is no wind, you can aim at the pins and I got a lot of good chances.

“Like I said, I have been coming off quite a tough stretch, so it was a lot of fun to actually feel the flow again, and maybe my best round tee to green since I won two years ago.

“It was fun to get that feeling again because it was a long time ago.”

Bjork is alongside countryman Marcus Kinhult, Essex’s Oliver Fisher, Frenchman Romain Langasque and Dutchman Joost Luiten, a winner in Oman two years ago.

Danish trio Nicolai Højgaard, Benjamin Poke and Jeff Winther, South African Darren Fichardt, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and England’s Jack Senior are three shots off the lead.

Teenage senation Højgaard, who led after a superb 64 on Thursday, added a level-par 71, containing three birdies and three bogeys as he seeks to match twin brother Rasmus’ rookie win in Mauritius.

•For live scoring in round three click here.

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