He might have left it late, but Grégory Bourdy completed a remarkable comeback to edge out Alastair Forsyth and David Howell in a sudden-death play-off to lift the Estoril Open de Portugal title after a superb day’s golf.
The final round at Oitavos Dunes had it all, culminating in that extra hole shoot out that saw the Frenchman hold his nerve to fight off Forsyth and Howell to lift his second European Tour title and the €208,330 first prize.
Even before the play-off climax, the crowds around Oitavos Dunes had been treated to a golfing feast packed with dramatic tension and some thrilling golf.
Of the three men who took the tournament into extra time, Howell made the biggest leap up the final round leaderboard, carding a brilliant seven under par 64, including vital birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to set the clubhouse target of 18 under par 266.
With Howell safely passing Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño as the clubhouse leader, it was left to Bourdy and Forsyth, playing together in the final group of the afternoon, to try and catch the Englishman.
Bourdy, who began the final round with a four stroke advantage over his playing partner, had looked down and out as he reached the turn in three over par for the day and allowed a host of players to overtake him at the top of the leaderboard.
He was not to be denied though, as he dug deep and rediscovered the swing that had seen him dominate the first three rounds at Oitavos.
Bourdy began his recovery with a birdie on the tenth hole, adding another on the 11th before taking advantage of Oitavos’s two back nine par fives to pick up a further two strokes and move to 18 under with two holes to play.
Forsyth, meanwhile, staged his own comeback after dropping two shots in his opening six holes. The Scotsman covered his remaining 12 holes in a stunning seven under par, including birdies on the two toughest holes on the course – the 17th and 18th – to set up a three way play-off.
All three men made par on the 18th at the first extra hole, meaning they went back to the tee to do it all again. A pulled drive meant Forsyth could only manage a bogey five at the second time of asking, leaving Bourdy and Howell to fight it out for the top prize.
The pair halved in four once more before being taken to the 17th to try and determine a winner. Bourdy left his approach on the front edge of the green, some 30 feet from the hole, while Howell slightly pulled his four iron second to the left of the putting surface.
The Englishman then played a “poor chip”, leaving himself a 20 foot par putt. With Bourdy rolling his ball to within 18 inches of the cup, Howell had to save his par to keep the tournament alive but the Englishman’s effort slipped agonisingly past to allow Bourdy a tap-in for victory.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” said Bourdy. “It was very hard at the start of the day – especially the first nine holes when I was three over. I didn’t look at the leaderboards but I knew that the other players were making birdies.
“But at the start of the day I knew that I had to play under par – if I did that then I would have a good chance to win. So I knew that on the back nine that if I could make four or five birdies then it would be enough.
“In the play-off I was quite nervous because it was my first play-off on The European Tour so to win against players like Alastair Forsyth and David Howell was amazing.”
