France’s Romain Langasque finally earned his maiden European Tour victory in the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor after a briliant back nine. Pictures by GETTY IMAGES

ROMAIN Langasque stormed to victory at the ISPS Handa Wales Open, overturning a five-stroke deficit to win his first European Tour title.

The Frenchman started the final day at The Celtic Manor Resort in a share of sixth place.

The 2015 Amateur Champion was five shots behind 54-hole co-leaders Sebastian Söderberg and Connor Syme, from Scotland.

But the deficit was cut to just one stroke after his second birdie of the day on the sixth hole.

Langasque continued to lurk one shot back after another gain on the ninth. And Romain drew level with a fourth birdie of the day on the par five 11th hole.

Successive birdies at the 15th and 16th holes saw the 25-year-old sign for a bogey-free 65 and an eight-under par total as a nervous wait followed.

Bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes dashed Syme’s hopes of a maiden European Tour victory.

Both he and Söderberg – who beat Rory McIlroy to the 2019 Omega European Masters title at Crans in September – found the water at the par five 18th.

That mistake ultimately ended the Swede’s chances at the 11th hour.

Conor Syme (right) made a double bogey at the last to drop down the leaderboard but was rewarded with a place in the US Open at Winged Foot, in September.

Great back nine earned the win

LANGASQUE, who has been tipped by many Tour pundits to make a break-through win for more than a year, was delighted with his final round.

Romain said: “I was playing really good since the start of the week.

“I was only focusing on doing my thing – that was the only objective I had on Monday with my coach.

“I’m so happy with the way I played the back nine. I played really, really good. I had so many birdie opportunities.

“The second shot on 16 and the first shot on 17 were my two best shots of the week.

“That shows that the work we have done the past few weeks has worked, and I’m pretty happy,” added Langasque.

“It was one of the first times I didn’t feel the pressure. I was focused on every shot.

“The first shot I felt pressure was the wedge on 18, because I was looking to be shorter and have a longer shot. But I flushed my four-iron.

“The wedge wasn’t easy because I wasn’t close and the two putts were under pressure. Before that I was cool and feeling really well on the course.

“The wait was long. But when you come back from five shots and you’re in a position like that it’s good.

“It’s long but it’s a good pressure and a good moment. I’m just enjoying my time now.”

•For final scores at the ISPS Handa Wales Open click here.

Välimäki and Syme earn US Open spots

LANGASQUE’S victory elevated him to 31st in the 2020 Race to Dubai Rankings.

It also earned him a place in next month’s US Open at Winged Foot, in New York, after he moved inside the top ten on the UK Swing Order of Merit.

The top 10 golfers not already exempt on that list, including Syme and runner-up Sami Välimäki, from Finland, have now secured their berths in the second Major of the COVID-19 interrupted season.

Langasque won The Amateur Championship five years ago at Carnoustie to earn his Open debut at St Andrews that summer.

He also made the cut when playing in the 2016 Augusta Masters and turned pro after his US Open debut at Oakmont, where Dustin Johnson claimed his first Major victory.

In March 2016, Langasque had beaten Hampshire’s Scott Gregory in the final of the Spanish Amateur Championship.

Three months later Gregory succeeded him as Amateur Champion by beating Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre in the final at Royal Porthcawl.

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Joost Luiten – the winner of the Austrian Open in 2013 – is favourite as the European Tour resumes after a fourth-month suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

FORMER Austrian Open champion Joost Luiten returns to Diamond Country Club, the site of his second European Tour victory in 2013, as the favourite for the European Tour’s return to action.

The Dutchman is joined by one of the Tour’s most recent first-time winners in Oman Open champion Sami Välimäki.

The dual-ranked Austrian Open marks the return to golf for both the European Tour and European Challenge Tour after a four-month absence

The 2020 Race to Dubai was suspended after the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, in early March, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It resumes almost four months to the day with the first of two events in Austria, before moving on to the six-event UK Swing in July and August.

Lutien is hoping to pick up where he left off back in the spring.

Joost said: “I started to play well at the last two events before the break. I was up the leaderboard two weeks in a row but couldn’t finish the job

“But at least I was giving myself chances. It wasn’t great timing but, at the end of the day there’s nothing we could do. We had to accept it.

“It’ll be great to have these tournaments on again. We’ve been practising without having any events on the schedule.

“It’s been a bit weird and you find it difficult to find the motivation. Now we’ve been able to get ready for tournaments there’s some adrenaline and excitement going.

“I’ve been trying to get my game back up to tournament level, so it’ll be good to see where it is.

“Practising is always different. But I feel as though I’m hitting the ball well, so I need to see how I do under pressure.”

How Golf South reported Välimäki’s maiden win in Oman in March

Rookie Sami wants more victories

ROOKIE Sami Välimäki announced himself as Scandinavia’s new kid on the block, back in March.

He brought his swashbuckling, winning form from from Germany’s Pro Golf Tour, where he won the last three events of 2019, to the main Tour.

He said: “After the suspension of tournaments around the world, for the first three weeks I felt really disappointed because we couldn’t play golf.

“But after that it was nice to relax with my family and let it sink in that I won on the European Tour.

“It’s something I am really proud of, the way I played and the way I won the Oman Open.

“All of my friends and family were really happy for me, seeing the hard work pay off. So we had a big party to celebrate.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to competitive golf. It’ll be nice playing again.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve played in conditions like these. We’ve had a couple of tournaments back in Finland.

“There are a few things I’ve been working on with my game, so we’ll see what happens.

“I’m feeling good, so you never know. Everyone is in the same situation. It has been very different, so we’ll see what happens over the next few days.”

Recent winners join Jiménez in Austria

BELGIAN Nicolas Colsaerts, winner of the 2019 Open de France, and Sweden’s Anton Karlsson, who won the RAM Cape Town Open on the Challenge Tour, in February, are also in the field.

They travelled to Austria to appear alongside Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez, who is making his 705^th European Tour start this week.

That leaves the 21-time European winner just one appearance behind Sam Torrance’s record, which has stood for a decade.

Jimenez, who has been playing on the PGA Champions Tour since turning 50 six year ago, said: “It’s strange when you see a golf course with no ropes or hospitality.

“But it’s nice that they’ve made the effort to put on tournaments and bring people here to play golf.

“When I finished playing at Newport Beach in March, I spent two weeks in my house in the Dominican Republic, and they said everything was locked.

“We stayed there for four months and I arrived here last night.

“I’ve come here because I like the golf course, and my wife is from Austria.

“I’m here to compete. After four months I feel ready. Diamond Country Club is a very nice golf course, very flat – which is good for me.”

Conor Syme looking to go one better than his second place finish in the Shot Clock Masters two years ago at Austria’s Diamond Country Club

Scot Syme keen to take another Shot at Austrian title

Meanwhile, Scot Connor Syme recorded his best European Tour finish so far at the Diamond CC course in 2018. He was runner-up to Finn Mikko Korhonen at the innovative Shot Clock Masters.

Syme said: “I’m delighted to be back. It does feel weird. But it feels safe too – with all the precautions the European Tour are taking to make it possible to play.

“I’m feeling positive about that, which was going to be the difficult thing.”

The 24-year-old from Kirkcaldy added: “I have great memories of playing here.

“It’s the first time I’ve been back since. I’ve been talking my caddie through shots that I played.

“It’s been one of my biggest European Tour highlights, so it’s nice to come back and reminisce.

“We might be a little bit easier on ourselves after bad shots, after four months off.

“I’m expecting to be a bit rusty. But everyone will be in the same boat,” said Syme, who returned to the European Tour after a top 15 finish on the Challenge Tour’s Race to Majorca in 2019,

As per all events on the reshaped 2020 Race to Dubai, the Austrian Open will be governed by the European Tour’s comprehensive health strategy.

Healthcare specialists Cignpost will deliver rapid on-site COVID-19 screening.

All players, caddies and on-site personnel will be tested at the Diamond CC, and future venues, to help mitigate risk of the virus spreading.

Participants will operate within national public health guidelines, including social distancing and following enhanced hygiene directives.

•For live scoring at Austria’s Diamond CC click here.

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Sami Valimaki became the third Finn to win on the European Tour after his dramatic play-off win over Brandon Stone, to claim the Oman Open at Al Mouj. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SAMI Valimaki won his first European Tour title as he defeated Brandon Stone in a play-off to lift the trophy at the 2020 Oman Open.

Just six months ago the unknown Finn was playing at the third tier of professional golf in Continental Europe – now he has a winner’s exemption on the European Tour until the end of 2022.

A delighted Valimaki, who joins Mikko Illonen and Mikko Korhonnen as Finnish winners on the European Tour, said: “It’s awesome. There are not many words to say, it’s unbelievable.

“After the ninth hole when I made a double I knew that the 10th hole is good and I had to make a birdie on that,” said Sami Valimaki.

“I didn’t make a really good par on 11 and after that bogey I felt like, ‘okay this is gone’. But then I just grinded, made three birdies and on the last – an awesome birdie.

“I just needed to hit the fairways and the greens, it doesn’t matter how long you leave yourself, but you have to be on the green and get the chance to make the putt.

“I am feeling relaxed because I managed to get the birdies and gave myself that opportunity to win.

“I thought I was going to miss the putt on the last in regulation it but thank god it went to the hole and gave me the chance to win the tournament.

“It is great that more Finnish golfers are doing well in the sport and golf is getting more popular there in Finland.”

Valimaki had a stunning 2019 on the Pro Golf Tour, winning four times including three consecutive starts at the end of the season.

The 21-year-old claimed his card at November’s Qualifying School in Spain, and after securing a first top 10 the ISPS Handa Vic Open, he is now a winner in just his sixth European Tour event.

The Finn was outside the top 100 after day one at Al Mouj Golf. But a stunning 64 in round three put him alongside Stone in a six-way tie for the lead with 18 holes to play.

In difficult, breezy conditions by the coast, both Stone and Valimaki had held the lead on their own during the final day.

But it was Adrien Saddier who set the clubhouse target at 12-under, and the Frenchman calmly headed to the range to await the final groups completing their rounds.

But Stone put paid to Saddier’s hopes of a first win by getting to 13–under celebrating wildly as he holed a 20-footer on the last.

And there was more drama to come as Valimaki holed from similar range for his own closing birdie and a round of 70 to take the contest to extra holes – despite that double at the turn.

The duo halved the last in pars twice – but when Stone sent his second shot crashing into the stand on the third trip, and failed to get up and down, a par was enough to hand Valimaki victory.

Stone search for win No. 4 goes on

STONE was taking positives from the result despite losing his first play-off and coming up short in his bid for a fourth European title since the start of 2016.

He had spoken earlier in the week about how happy he was with work the South African, and his support team, had undertaken since last year to take his game to the next level.

“Obviously I’m a little disappointed but I’m really proud with how I played over the last four days,” said Stone – one of just 15 players to have won a Rolex Series event, thanks to his 2018 Scottish Open win.

“It feels like I’m closer again,” said Stone. “My confidence and swing are starting to come back.

“I’m feeling really comfortable and unfortunately, I came up a little shy, but the best thing about our job is I get to try again on Thursday,” added Stone, who finished sixth at the 2015 Challenge Tour Grand Final at Al Mouj Golf, to earn his graduation to the European Tour.

“We’re professional sportsmen and full of emotion which showed with my putt on the 18th in regulation.

“I knew I needed to hole that to give myself a sniff. I managed to get it done. We leave it all out on the line – a lot of time and effort goes into this.”

Italian Guido Migliozzi and Korhonen finished at 11-under, two shots clear of Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, South African George Coetzee, Danish teenager Rasmus Højgaard and Wiltshire’s Jordan Smith.

•For final results in the Oman Open click here.

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Benjamin Poke lost one stroke of his three-shot lead at the European Tour Qualifying School at Lumine GC, in Spain’s Tarragona. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

THE battle to earn European Tour playing privileges will go down to the wire with 22 players within three shots of the all-important 25th position.

Meanwhile Benjamin Poke posted a two-under par 69 retain the lead at the European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage after 90 holes over five days.

Poke said: “I’ve just tried to approach every round and every day in the same way and just hit one shot at a time.

“A few ups and downs out there but that is golf, and there is no day that is the same, so overall, I’m really happy with today’s performance.

“I was feeling the nerves a little bit at the start, but once I got it going it just felt like another day out on the golf course.

“I was just enjoying playing golf. I had some nice playing partners and we just talked along the way.

“Four back-to-back birdies is always nice to get your game going as well, and I managed to hole the putts over the opening few holes which gave me some good momentum.

“I hit my second shot on the ninth a little right and it managed to plug itself in the edge of the bunker.

“So I got a little bit unlucky there. But I thought ‘that’s just how it is sometimes’ and again I just tried to keep my eye on the next shot.

“The strategy tomorrow is just to keep doing all the same things we’ve been doing all week.

“We have a good game plan on how to approach the course and in that way circumstances don’t really change. So, if we do that, then we will make a good score and we take it as it comes.”

The Dane has set the pace at Lumine Golf Club since the second round and the 26-year-old will head into the final round atop the leaderboard on 18-under.

Poke is currently nine shots inside the cut-off for a European Tour card, with the top 25 and ties earning full playing status for 2020, following the conclusion of Wednesday’s sixth and final round.

Essex’s Dale Whitnell, whose breakthrough win on the Challenge Tour came in September’s KPMG Trophy, sits nervously in the crucial 25th place, alongside Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Caldwell.

Both will desperately want to be at least in that spot come tomorrow. afternoon, while Northumberland’s 2013 Amateur Champion Garrick Porteous is in 20th spot after a second successive 68, also faces an anxious last day.

Poke is two strokes ahead of Finland’s Sami Valimaki and three ahead of Frenchman Adrien Saddier and India’s SSP Chawrasia, who share third place on 15-under.

Valimaki said: “It’s been a really good five days for me, especially today I started really well going two-under on my first four holes, which let me breathe a little bit.

“It wasn’t great to bogey the last hole, but to shoot three-under is pretty good.

“Tomorrow, I just have to feel really comfortable and start again. I’ve been hitting the ball really well, so I’ll just have to keep letting the putter make the short ones and see where it leaves me at the end of the day.”

Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, one of last year’s Qualifying School joint-winners, is one of six men who share fifth place on 14-under.

That group also includes three-time European Tour winner Grégory Havret, Yorkshire’s Marcus Armitage, Sussex’s Toby Tree, Canada’s Aaron Cockerill and Korean Jinho Choi.

Havret, who has won three times on the European Tour since turning pro in 1999, said: “You feel good when you play well, especially in this kind of week.

“It’s long, it’s physically and mentally not easy, but that’s what you have to deal with.

“After last year I still wanted to play golf and I had the opportunity to play the Challenge Tour and I think it’s a great Tour.

“I wanted to play a full year there and try to get back to the European Tour through the Challenge Tour, instead of playing a few European Tour events and a few Challenge Tour events.

“I thought it was good to stick on one Tour, and I really enjoyed it, I must say,” added Havret who beat Phil Mickelson in a play-off to win the 2007 Scottish Open, at Loch Lomond, and was runner-up in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach.

“To be tied fifth after five rounds of a professional golf tournament is pretty good, but there are still 18 holes to go and anything can happen,” said Havret.

“The important thing is that I keep focusing on the same things I have all season on the Challenge Tour and all week here at Q-School.”

Aaron Cockerill, who has had two top fives on the Challenge Tour this year, said: “It was a good finish with the eagle at the last.

“It’s funny, I shot one worse today than I did yesterday, but I feel so much better because yesterday I was six-under through 10, and kind of bled in.

“And today, I was four-under on the last five holes and it just feels so much better. Now I’m just looking forward to tomorrow,” said the 27-year-old who has been playing on the PGA Cananda Tour.

Somerset’s Laurie Canter is well placed in 12th place after an excellent 66 while Lincolnshire’s David Coupland, a graduate from the EuroPro Tour in 2018, is in 20th, on 10-under.

Fichardt jumps 50 places after superb 64

THE biggest mover of the day was five-time European Tour winner Darren Fichardt, who posted a sublime seven-under par 64 to move from the cut-line into a tie for 16th place.

Fichardt said: “I needed that, big time. The first few rounds have been very frustrating.

“I’ve been playing well and simply haven’t been making the putts, so it was nice to hit a few really close and have some tap-in birdies on the front nine – and then just close it out on my back nine.

“I just wanted to keep giving myself the chances this morning and hope that the putts kept dropping, so I did better than that.

“My front nine was really tricky, it was really windy so for me to turn in five under was unbelievable really.

“I was just trying to be more aggressive and pitch it closer to the hole – and I found myself hitting it in really close,” added Fichardt.

That leap up the leaderboard offers the South African a great opportunity to regain his playing privileges after finishing 130th this year in the Race to Dubai.

Forty-four-year-old Fichardt has five wins on the European Tour since 2001 – including the Joburg Open two years ago, but finished 130th on the Race to Dubai with his winner’s exemption ending this month.

While those near the top of the leaderboard will be looking to consolidate their position during the final round of the tournament, there are still plenty of players aiming for a last-minute breakthrough into the top 25.

Kent’s Steven Tiley and Spain’s Pedro Oriol both carded three-under par 68s to move into a tie for 33rd place, just one stroke outside the top 25, while Ireland’s Niall Kearney and Scotland’s Daniel Young each posted four-under par 67s to join the group on the cusp of the qualification spots.

The final round will begin at 8am UK time on Wednesday, when the top 25 players and ties after the close of play will earn life-changing European Tour cards for the 2020 season.

•For live scoring from the final round at Lumine, click here.

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Benjamin Poke extended his lead to three shots at the European Tour Qualifying School at Lumine GC, in Spain’s Tarragona. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

BENJAMIN Poke remained in control on day four of the European Tour Qualifying School’s Final Stage as he increased his lead to three shots at Lumine Golf Club.

The Dane is in pole position with two rounds remaining after posting his fourth consecutive sub-70 round to reach 16-under par.

Meanwhile Poke’s closest challengers, Korea’s Jinho Choi, India’s SSP Chawrasia and Finland’s Sami Valimaki shared second place on 13-under.

The 27-year-old, who shot a four-under 67 on the Lakes Course on Monday, has led the six-round tournament since day two.

And following a bogey-free fourth round, which included two birdies in his final three holes, Poke will now look to earn a European Tour card for the first time in his career.

Poke said: “The conditions were a bit calmer but I still started off a bit slower, like I did yesterday.

“I just kept hitting fairways and greens but missed a few greens around five and six, and managed to scramble in nicely, which kept the momentum going a bit.

“I got a nice birdie on eight and from then on, I kept giving myself big chances and scrambled nicely when I needed to,” added Poke, who finished 29th on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca.

“It helps playing alongside guys who were also playing well. Toby (Tree) was three-under, I was four-under and Sami was six and it definitely helps because everybody’s playing well and going through good vibes.

“I’ve not given where I finish much thought, to be honest,” said Poke, who has been watching snooker on TV to relax in the evenings.

“Obviously, it’s a goal for everyone but I feel like I’ve got nothing to lose really. I’m just going do my best and see what happens.”

Choi charged up the leaderboard with the joint low round of the day on the Lakes – a seven-under 64, as he aims to regain his European Tour playing privileges, while 21-year-old Valimaki also pulled himself into contention with a six-under par 65.

Choi, who finished 181st on the Race to Dubai forcing last year’s Korean Tour money list winner to head to Qualifying School, said: “I enjoyed the round today. It was pretty solid.

“I putted really well, other than one three-putt, which was a missed short one, but overall it was a good day.”

“Coming into today I reminded myself that we’re only halfway through the tournament.

“So I told myself that I need to shoot some low scores this second half, and so that was all I really focused on – going low.

“I know I still need to shoot low numbers over the final two rounds as well if I want to get a European Tour card, so my mindset will still be to go low and keep playing solid golf.”

Chawrasia continued to safely navigate his way through the six-round marathon with a four-under par 67 on the Lakes.

The four-time European Tour winner was helped by an ace on the 186-yard fourth hole, one of two hole-in-ones recorded on the par three.

Frenchman Robin Sciot-Siegrist also holed his tee shot en route to a 67 of his own.

Armitage cashes in on conditions

A six-way chasing pack, which includes Germans Hurly Long, Nicolai von Dellingshausen and Marcel Schneider, Sussex’s Toby Tree and Yorkshire’s Marcus Armitage as well as Frenchman Adrien Saddier, all share fifth place on 12-under.

Thirty-two year-old Armitage, whose only Challange Tour win came in the 2016 Foshan Open, said: “I’m really pleased with today’s round.

“I thought it was going to be quite windy. But it turned out to be calm and presented a lot of opportunities – and I played really well,” said Armitage who is attached to Howley Hall GC.

“I’m just taking it like any event, you keep chasing and you are trying to win.

“Obviously, you want to be in the top 25 but you also want to win the tournament – and that is the goal at the start of the week, and we will keep going.”

Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson charged up the leaderboard with an eight-under par 64, which marked the low round of the tournament at the Hills Course.

It took the Scot from outside the cut line to tied 17^th, inside the number for a European Tour card.

Ferguson, who played in the 2015 Walker Cup before turning pro in 2016, said: “I played well today. I played well on the first couple of days as well.

“But it’s a long week and you just have to keep plugging away. I didn’t want a mistake to happen early on, so I think I played a little bit too defensive in the first couple of rounds.

“Today I just seemed to attack at a lot more pins – I just thought let’s just go for it,” added Ferguson, who is attached to Glasgow’s Bearsden GC.

“My dad’s out watching me this week and it’s quite nice to have someone you’re close to just watching you and willing you to do well with the odd wee fist pump when you hole a putt.

“I’m pretty tired after a long season on the Challenge Tour with China and Mallorca in the last few weeks,” said 23-year-old Ferguson, who won the Boys Amateur Championship, at Royal Birkdale, in 2013.

“I’ve felt quite a lot of pressure to try and get my card for quite a while now, so that’s why my dad’s come along to motivate me.

“I’m feeling pretty good – there’s two more days to go and I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and see what happens at the end of it.”

The Final Stage cut line, which is limited to the top 70 players and ties after four rounds, fell at four-under, with 77 players making it through to the last two rounds.

Each player who bettered the 72-hole benchmark is guaranteed full status on the European Challenge Tour for 2020, with the top 25 players and ties earning European Tour cards after the sixth and final round

The attention now turns to the Lakes Course where the 77 remaining players will contest each of the two remaining rounds.

•For live scoring at Lumine, click here.

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