Larrazabal wins Spanish battle to lift BMW International title

The race for the BMW International Open became a battle of the Spaniards from mid-way through the final 18 holes as Pablo Larrazabal and Sergio Garcia fought out a real scrap for the top honours.

With overnight leader Mark Foster faltering, Larrazabal posted the clubhouse target of 272 following a final round 68 to close 16-under par, despite being 18-under after 11 holes. However, Garcia stormed to 19-under through the same amount of holes – including eagles at the 9th and 11th holes, before a mini-collapse saw four bogeys in five holes.

With Larrazabal carding two bogeys of his own on the homeward nine, it meant Garcia would need a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to force a play-off – and he got it after finding the green in two and two-putting.

And so it was down the 18th again and the first of three occasions they would replay the hole. Both men birdied the hole after both once again found the putting surface in two and two-putted. Both men then birdied the hole again, despite Sergio coming up short of the green and having to pitch onto the putting surface to three feet.

The duo moved to the par-3 12th hole; Garcia flying left over the flag to the back of the green, while Larrazabal was pin-high. Garcia thought he had the win in his grasp when his birdie putt lipped out to open the door for his fellow Spaniard, but Larrazabal’s own putt slid past. Another pair of pars were carded and it was onto the 17th hole.

This time the pair landed within 15 feet of the hole, but both missed birdie putts and it was back to the 18th hole, which proved the decider.

Garcia’s drive on the 5th extra hole flirted with the left-hand bunker but somehow stayed clear of the sand, while Larrazabal’s drive spit the fairway for an ideal approach. Risking it all, Garcia played a magnificent 3-wood that found the green, and he was followed in by Larrazabl, whose approach drifted right but made the putting surface. From a good 20-yards out, Larrazabal’s putt ran close to the hole to leave Garcia with a putt to win.

Garcia pushed his putt past the hole by some 4-feet, and he missed the return for a fatal three-putt and hand the title to Larrazabl who tapped-in for birdie and the win – his first since the Open de France in 2008, five months before Garcia’s own last win. It was sweet revenge for Larrazabal who led this same tournament 12 months previously with three holes to play before losing to David Horsey.

There was some consolation for Sergio, however, with his runner-up finish good enough to secure a berth in the Open Championship next month at Royal St. Georges. He’ll be joined by Larrazabal who also makes the line-up after losing out in a play-off to George Coetzee for the final qualifying place earlier in the month.

Both Sergio and Larrazabal qualify from a mini-money list run by the European Tour throughout the month, and for Sergio it keeps alive a run that has seen him play every Major title since the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie. Larrazabal pocketed €333,330 while Garcia earned €222,220.

England’s Simon Dyson and Swede Johan Edfors were in position to take The Open Championship places before the German event, but Dyson missed the cut and Edfors did not play.

Overnight leader Mark Foster finished in a share of third alongside George Coetzee, Retief Goosen, Scott Jamieson and tipster pick Joost Luiten, who carded a bogey-free 67.

Home favourite and world number three, Martin Kaymer finished in a tie for 18th playce on 9-under par, alongside defending champion David Horsey, Colin Montgomerie and United States’ Dustin Johnson as well as two others. Kaymer’s finish puts his number three spot in the world in jeopardy and he could be overtaken by new US Open champion Rory McIlroy when the latest rankings are announced on Monday.

Mark Foster claims third round BMW International lead

England’s Mark Foster takes a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the BMW International Open after a third round 66 at Golfclub Munchen Eichenreid.

Foster – who hails from the same town as world number two Lee Westwood – is seeking just his second European Tour win in 278 starts and eight years. And he gave himself an ideal opportunity to win with a round that included just one bogey and seven birdies.

Indeed, Foster had played his second round bogey free and added the front nine of his third round to an error free stretch of golf before dropping a shot at the 10th. Four birdies followed as Foster posted a 14-under par total 202 for a two-shot lead.

Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, who threw away a winning chance in this event last year after leading by two shots with just three to play in the final round, was among the group to share second place after carding 69. He was joined by joint-overnight leader George Coetzee, who bogeyed the last hole to slip into the tie. Larrazabal’s fellow Spaniard, Sergio Garcia also joined the hunt after a third round 64 – the best round of the day – pushed him to 12-under par.

Also on 12-under par were former Major champion Retief Goosen who shot a round of 67 and England’s Robert Coles who fired a bogey-free 65.

English duo Lee Slattery and Graeme Storm closed a further shot behind on 11-under, while young Italian Matteo Manassero was on 10-under par.

Swede Henrik Stenson had begun the day joint-leader with Coetzee but after ten straight pars the former world number 4 – now ranked 124 – dumped two balls into the water at the par-5 11th hole to record a quadruple-bogey 9. To his credit, however, he battled back to steady the ship and racked up a trio of birdies to close his round and keep his chances alive and join a group of players on 9-under par. Among that group is tipster pick Joost Luiten, who put together a 68 which included two bogeys.

Luiten’s fellow tipster pick, Ryder Cup player Ross Fisher gave himself a squeak at being in contention with a 68 to move to 7-under par.

Ryder Cup duo Martin Kaymer and Francesco Molinari are among a group of players on 6-under; they were joined by their 2010 skipper at The Celtic Manor, Colin Montgomerie. But there’ll be no successful title defence for David Horsey – the Englishman carding a 72 to close 5-under par, 9 behind the lead.

Foster has a tough task ahead if he is to win his second European Tour event and he has twice been in similar positions in recent times. Foster was three ahead at both last year’s Open de Espana and this season’s Open de Andalucia presented by Turkish Airlines, but folded to finish third and fourth respectively; those failures to close might play heavily on the Englishman’s mind.

Garcia, meanwhile, is also chasing a first victory in quite some time – almost three years – but also a place in next month’s Open Championship lineup. Garcia finished tied seventh last week in the US Open and a top-four finish here could see him claim one of two places available through a mini-money list that the European Tour has run over the past month.

Garcia, who made it into the US Open only through a qualifying play-off, has not missed a Major since the 1999 Open at Carnoustie but could still lose out on either place as Mark Foster could also claim one of those slots by finishing in the top-2, while a win would see Robert Coles take up one of the available berths.

Stenson joined by Coetzee at top of BMW International Open leaderboard

Henrik Stenson maintained a presence at the top of the leaderboard in the BMW International Open, but was forced to share top spot with South African George Coetzee.
Stenson, starting the day with a one-shot lead after an opening 64 signed for a second round 70, while Coetzee put together a second successive round of 67. In contrast, Stenson bogeyed his final two holes while Coetzee birdied 2 of his last 3 holes.

Swede Stenson has dropped to 124 in the world after ranking fourth just two years ago, but might have been clear of the field but for those closing bogeys. Starting from the 10th hole and turning in 1-under par, Stenson arrived at the 8th – his 17th hole – with a three shot lead after an eagle on the 6th was followed by a birdie on the next.

Those dropped shots allowed Coetzee to close the gap as he made birdies on two of his last three holes to tie Stenson.

Coetzee has yet to win on the European Tour and let slip a golden opportunity at last week’s St. Omer Open where he was handily placed to challenge heading into the final day. To date he has never contested a Major Championship either – but he came through qualifying to earn a place in the Open Championship next month at Royal St Georges.

The pair are one shot clear of Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal who carded a bogey-free 67, including an eagle on the 16th hole, and he opened and closed his round with birdies on the 1st and 18th as well as adding another gain on the 9th. After losing to Coetzee in a play-off to book a place in the season’s third major, Larrazabal needs a top two finish to make the Open Championship field.

A packed leaderboard saw five players tie on 8-under par, two shots off the lead. The group included Welshman Bradley Dredge and former BMW PGA Champion Simon Khan, while former US Open champion Retief Goosen was among a group of players a further shot back on 7-under.

World number 3 and US PGA Champion, Germany’s Martin Kaymer moved into contention on 6-under par alongside former Open champion Paul Lawrie.

The tipster challenge is spearheaded by in-form Dutchman Joost Luiten, who despite turning in level-par after starting out 2-under, birdied three holes without reply on the homeward nine to move into a group on 5-under par which included defending champion David Horsey and Italian Francesco Molinari.

Ross Fisher meanwhile shot a round of 70 to move to 3-under par and share with the likes of Dustin Johnson and Ryder Cup team-mate Miguel Angel Jiminez.

Anders Hansen, who had enjoyed a rich vein of form prior to this event, let the tipster side down by adding a 75 to his opening 76 to comfortably miss the cut. He kept some good company, however, as golf legend Bernhard Langer also missed out following rounds of 76-79, as did Paul Casey.

The Englishman, ranked 12th in the world was largely expected to contend strongly this week but added a 73 to his opening 72 to miss the cut by 3 strokes.

Stenson takes first round BMW International Open lead

Sweden’s Henrik Stenson showed he still had all his old skills with a blistering eight under par 64 to take a one shot lead after the first round of the BMW International Open.

Stenson, a former Ryder Cup player, has slipped dramatically down the world rankings from a lofty fourth place to outside the top 100 in the last two years. However, after a spell in the doldrums it appears as if the Swede is finally recapturing some of his best forma and he featured on the leaderboard for much of last week’s US Open before posting a T23 finish.

And he carried that form to Munich, Germany by shooting seven birdies, one eagle and one bogey to lead England’s Gary Boyd by one shot amid some torrential afternoon downpours, and still sporting a bandaged figure after suffering a cut during his final round at Congressional.

Boyd might have been tied for the lead had it not been for a bogey on the last hole, but the Englishman turned in 5-under par 65, before adding a further three birdies on his homeward nine holes.

Little-known Dutchman Tim Sluiter shot 66 to take a share of third alongside much more recognisable names in England’s Danny Willett, South African Jbe Kruger and former British Open champion Paul Lawrie, with Engand’s Lee Slattery and Markus Brier posting 67s to lay one shot further back.

Defending champion, England’s David Horsey began with a solid 2-under par 70, the same score as American Dustin Johnson who is making a rare appearance on the European Tour. Spaniard Miguel Jiminez and Martin Kaymer also opened with rounds of 70, as did Colin Montgomerie.

The tipster picks had solid if unspectacular starts to their challenges. Dutchman Joost Luiten twice battled back from 2-over par to card a 2-under par 70, while England’s Ross Fisher posted a round of 71. But Dane Anders Hansen endured a poor homeward nine to post a 4-over 76 and leave himself sweating on making the cut.

Paul Casey was left to rue a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-4 seventh hole. After starting out on the 10th, world number 12 Casey had turned in 2-under par before adding two further birdies on the homeward nine. Then calamity struck as he racked up an eight before dropping another shot at the next. Casey birdied his last hole to post a level par 72.

BMW International Open Betting Preview

The week the European Tour heads to Munich, Germany for the BMW International Open at Golclub Munchen Eichenreid. Home favourite and world number three Martin Kaymer is amongst the field for the event which carries a €2million prize purse and has attracted a strong field.

Last year’s winner David Horsey will attempt to defend the title he won last year, but he will face some stiff competition not only from Kaymer but also from a number of players who contested last week’s US Open, including American Dustin Johnson who makes a rare foray outside the Open Championship to Europe.

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