John Catlin. Pic: Getty Images/ European Tour
Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Sep 28: Shubhankar Sharma shot his best round of the week, one-over 71, but that still saw him finish T-64 at the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
Sharma shot 72-72-76-71 for a total of 11-over 291. Sharma, who is going through a lean patch, has made just three cuts in eight starts and finished no higher than T-44 at Portugal Masters. He is scheduled to play the ASI Scottish Open and then the BMW PGA Wentworth.
American, John Catlin who did not have an European Tour title till a month ago, won his second title in four weeks with a brilliant closing 64 to win the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
Conditions were the most favourable they had been all week after a frost and fog delay at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort and Catlin was the man to take advantage, making birdies in three of his last four holes on a day when most others failed to find their rhythm.
Catlin finished at 10-under, two shots clear of overnight leader Aaron Rai, who needed a birdie on Parr-5 18th to force a play-off hit a second shot in thick rough after a fine drive. Rai was three ahead of Australian Maverick Antcliff and Thai Jazz Janewattananond.
Catlin, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour but entered this season without full playing privileges after finishing 155th on the 2019 Race to Dubai Rankings.
But after holding off two-time Major champion Martin Kaymer to win his maiden European tour title at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters earlier this month, Catlin now has a brace of European Tour wins.
Catlin joins Rasmus Hojgaard and Sam Horsfield as multiple winners on the Tour and rises to 14th in Race to Dubai rankings and enters World’s Top-100.
He also becomes just the third American to win this event and the first for 43 years after victories for Major Champions Ben Crenshaw and Hubert Green in 1976 and 1977.
“To be listed with those names is something truly special and I’m very honoured,” he said. “I’m so happy. I was talking to someone earlier about where I was at four years ago and to be here is so surreal and a testament to my coach and all the hard work we put in. It’s so awesome to just be here.
“There are so many years of hard work that have gone into this moment. It was my goal to win again at the start of this week so to accomplish that is to do something truly, truly special.
“You never know if you’re going to win or not and to get that monkey off my back at Valderrama really freed me up today to know that I can look myself in the mirror and tell myself honestly that I’ve been here before and I can do it again.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the Majors, that’s the only level of golf that I haven’t played at and hopefully one day I can win one of those as well.”
Rai surrendered his solo lead with a bogey at the first but bounced straight back with a gain on the second, a feat replicated by playing partners Antcliff and Lengden at the driveable par four.
Jazz took solo lead at one stage after the 10th, and was joined by Lengden who had holed a monster putt for eagle on the tenth and he was in a share of the lead at eight under when Janewattananond failed to get up and down from sand on the 12th.
All the contenders were beginning to make hard work of it, and Antcliff dropped shots on the 11th and 12th, Lengden bogeyed the 11th and Catlin dropped a shot on the 13th.
Janewattananond bucked that trend with an approach to three feet at the 13th but he made a double bogey on the next after taking a drop.
Catlin then joined Rai at the top with an 18 footer on the 15th and when he put an approach to four feet at the next to get to nine under, a Lengden bogey at the 14th looked to make it a three horse race.
A wonderful second into the par five 18th set up a two putt gain and made it three birdies in four holes to hand Catlin a two shot lead and, while Rai birdied the 17th, he found a nasty lie with his second at the last for a bogey.
Janewattananond bogeyed the 16th but picked the shot back up on the last, Antcliff also made the most of the closing hole, and Lengden birdied the 15th but bogeyed the next. Jazz ended third and Lengden was fourth.
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Aaron Rai takes 2-shot lead into the final round; Sharma 67th in Irish Open
Shubhankar makes cut in Irish Open; Bhullar misses as does Shane Lowry
Sharma lies T-52nd after 2-over 72, Bhullar 5-over at Irish Open
