Sweden’s Johan Edfors fulfilled his childhood dream by winning his maiden European Tour title after a birdie on the final hole gave him a one stroke victory in the TCL Classic at Yalong Bay Golf Club on the Chinese island of Hainan.
Edfors holed from eight feet on the last for a final round of 68 and a 25 under par total of 263 to finish a shot ahead of Australian Andrew Buckle, who closed with a 70, with Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng a shot further back after a superb final round 65 in the event jointly sanctioned by The European Tour and the Asian Tour.
England’s Nick Dougherty followed his second place in last week’s OSIM Singapore Masters with a fourth place on Hainan Island after a 69 took him to 22 under par 266 but the overnight leader and favourite for the title, David Howell, slumped to a final round 75 to finish joint seventh.
Instead the final day belonged to Edfors as he hit back from two early bogeys to win with seven birdies to claim the first prize of €140,215 and move from 75th to 19th on The European Tour Order of Merit.
It was just reward for the 2003 Challenge Tour Number One who, after losing his card at the end of the 2004 season, set about rebuilding his game and regained his European Tour status through last year’s Qualifying School.
“This is what I have dreamed of as a kid and why I am out here playing,” said Edfors. “It felt great to see the putt drop on the last. I hadn’t been putting that well all day. I took a spot and gave it a go. I was really happy to see it go in.
“I didn’t have a very good start and bogeyed two and three and thought I was out of it then. Then going down the ninth I saw I was top of the leaderboard and I was really surprised. After that I starting striking the ball nicely. I had some chances for eagle on the ninth and 13th but then missed from two feet on the 15th and that let all the guys in again.
Edfors then birdied the 16th to set up the dramatic finale.
“I had the perfect yardage for a pitching wedge for my second shot and hit it really well. I told myself to try and die the putt into the hole and it went straight in. It was a great feeling when that last putt went in.”
For Buckle it was a second runners-up finish in three weeks after Simon Dyson denied him in Indonesia. He had a chance to take the contest into extra holes but after hitting a great eight iron to 12 feet, the putt slipped by on the low side and his closing 68 was one too many.
“I didn’t give the last putt a good run but I played well and think I did all I could do,” said Buckle, who moved to the top of the UBS Asian Tour Order of Merit. “I lost concentration on the fifth hole, and hit a terrible shot which cost me a double bogey. Apart from that it was pretty good. I didn’t play that great but no-one was really doing anything. The wind made it tough so thought if I could shoot three or four under on the back nine I might have a chance. But I am enjoying my golf and will keep learning and see what happens.”
Howell was expected to run away with the title but never got going from the moment he went in the water at the third and ran up a double bogey five.
“It was one of those days where everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” said Howell. “I couldn’t do anything right for love nor money.”
