Fisher gives chase as Dredge leads BMW International Open

Wales’ Bradley Dredge took a giant step towards a first European Tour event win in 4 years with a third-round 67 at the BMW International Open at Golfclub Munchen Eichenreid.

Chasing a Ryder Cup debut on native soil at The Celtic Manor in Wales in October, Dredge’s third round total saw him take a three shot lead into the final round. England’s Ross Fisher and Ireland’s Simon Thornton are Dredge’s nearest pursuers; the pair tied together on 15-under par.

Dredge had extended a one-shot overnight advantage to four shots by playing the front nine in 33, which included a 50-foot chip-in on the first hole but saw that lead cut to one stroke as Fisher started his inward run with birdie-eagle. Dredge responded with birdies on the 11th and 13th holes before making par on the remainder to post his bogey-free round. Dredge had carded just one bogey in his 54 holes played so far..

Thornton, a Qualifying School graduate has never posted a top-10 finish on the European Tour but carded a third successive 67 to tie for second place with Ross Fisher, who like Dredge is chasing a Ryder Cup spot. Fisher shot a second straight 66 to keep the pressure on Dredge.

“Somebody said at the start that you’d take four 67s this week – and there’s three of them. I’ve never been in the final group before and I’m looking forward to it.” Thornton told reporters afterwards.

Fisher, like Dredge, is also seeking to end a losing streak dating back to the Volvo World Match Play in Spain last November and has suffered a quiet season to date, and missed the cut at last week’s US Open at Pebble Beach.

Scotland’s former Open Championship winner Paul Lawrie is one shot further back in fourth following a 68.

Sunday’s play gets underway early with the final trio of Dredge, Fisher and Thornton teeing off just before 11am so that play finishes before the World Cup clash between Germany and England, which will be shown on the big screens at the course.

Dredge and Whiteford share first round BMW lead

Wales’ Bradley Dredge and Scotland’s Peter Whiteford share the lead after the first round of the BMW International Open at Golfclub Munchen Eichenreid, with 8-under par rounds of 64 to take a one shot lead into the second day’s play.

The pair lead by one shot over a quartet of players – Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl, Ariel Canete of Argentina and Dredge’s fellow countryman, former Ryder Cup player Phillip Price.

Dredge, 203rd in the Official Golf World Rankings and without a win in four years, set the early pace after reaching the turn in 33 and added an eagle at the long 11th hole, as well as a closing trio of birdies.

Whiteford, who graduated to the full European Tour from the Challenge Tour for a second time at the end of last season, kept a bogey-free card – as did Dredge – and eagled the sixth hole to accompany a further 3 birdies on each the front and back nine stretches.

Ryder Cup captains past and present teed off in the event, including Sir Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer – who has never won this tournament – and 2010 skipper, Colin Montgomerie. Both Monty and Langer started out with solid 70s but Faldo found the going a little tougher and could only manage an opening round of 76 in his first event since last year’s Open Championship.

Ernie Els, third in the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach last Sunday, bogeyed the last two holes for a 70, while Paul Casey returned with a 68. The tipster trio all enjoyed reasonable openings with both Martin Kaymer and Miguel Angel Jiminez opening with 1-under par 71s, and Robert Karlsson recovering to finish on 1-over par.

BMW International Open Betting Preview

This week’s stop on the European Tour is Germany and the Golfclub München Nord-Eichenried for the BMW International Open and the event has attracted a high quality field following last week’s US Open at Pebble Beach.

Read more

Dougherty claims keys to BMW International Open

England’ Nick Dougherty made it three career wins after he held off a determined late charge from Argentina’s Rafa Echenique to claim the BMW International Open on Sunday. It was his first tour victory in two years and is undoubtedly his most high profile.

Starting three shots behind the overnight leader, Retief Goosen, Dougherty carded four birdies in his opening five holes to draw level, and with nine birdies in all – including a trio of birdies at 13,14 and 15 – tempered slightly by one solitary bogey, posted a final round 64.

However, it wasn’t quite as comfortable as he would have liked after the Argentinian, Echenique, holed his 243-yard second shot at the par-five last hole to record an albatross. The three strokes gained meant he had carded a 62 and a European Tour record-equalling inward 27 to force Dougherty to make at least level-par for his closing three holes.

Dougherty made par on sixteen and seventeen, but had struggled with the last hole all week, having twice found the rough and water once on his three previous rounds. However, he managed to find the fairway from the tee and held his nerve to win.

Dougherty’s round was the lowest final tournament winning round of the season, and his 22-under-par four-round total is the lowest 72 hole score so far this year. The win secures Dougherty a place at next month’s Open Championship at Turnberry, as well as spots at several other high profile events.

Goosen, who had held the overnight lead going into the final round could only manage a one-under par total of 71 to finish on 18-under-par, while veteran Bernhard Langer – in second place overnight and bidding to become the oldest tournament winner in the European Tour’s history – also carded a 71 to finish in a share of eighth place.

« Previous Page