Massimo Scarpa became the second Italian to win the buzzgolf.com North West of Ireland Open when he followed in compatriot Costantino Rocca’s footsteps at Slieve Russell in Co. Cavan.
Scarpa made a decisive move when he broke free of the pack with a 20 foot eagle putt on the 529-yards 13th and then pulled a further shot clear with a birdie on the next from four feet. A final round of 70 for a 13 under par total of 275 left him one clear of his Mikael Lundberg.
Twelve months earlier Rocca claimed his fifth European Tour title with victory in Galway but this year it was the turn of the 30-year-old from Venice to claim his first European Tour title. Victory in this joint European Tour and Challenge Tour event earns Scarpa, who was 126th in the Volvo Order of Merit at the start of the week, a one year exemption on the European Tour.
He said: “Proud. Proud to be there with Costantino’s name. My first Tour win as well I hope it is not the last. Got used to winning on the challenge Tour and won four times in 1998. But this feels different. Mikael played really well. The eagle on 13 was the decisive moment because I didn’t putt very well all day. That was my first putt. Lucky.”
Scarpa, who plays right handed but chips left handed with one of the two left handed wedges he keeps in his bag, won four times on the Challenge Tour in 1998 on his way to earning his Tour card.
Starting the final round with a one shot lead Scarpa was fell back into the field with a bogey on the par three fourth hole. He pulled that shot back with a birdie on the par five sixth before making his move on the homeward stretch.
His nearest challenger was Mikael Lundberg despite the set back of a double bogey six on the third hole. The Swede hit back with birdies on the fourth and sixth for a level par outward half and then two more birdies on the 13th and 14th, his eagle putt on the par five rolling round the hole but staying out.
Andrew Beal shot a closing 70 for third place and his highest finish of the year but felt it could have been a couple of shots better.
“Could have played better in parts today,” he said “Things weren’t quite running my way. There was some gritty stuff out there which was good. First would have been better but nevertheless third is better than fourth. A good week all round although I could have played a bit better and challenged a bit more.”
Ireland’s Gary Murphy, bidding to become the first Irish winner on home soil in 18 years briefly held the lead when he chipped in on the fourth but after a roller coaster round which included four birdies and five bogeys, finished in a share of seventh place.
Carlos Rodiles had earlier set the clubhouse target with a five under par 67 to move to ten under par for his third top ten finish of the season. His birdie put on the last somehow stayed out but a good week has helped him consolidate his position in the top three in the Challenge Tour Rankings. He finished in a share of fourth place alongside Welshman Garry Houston.
“The key to not winning was not taking advantage of the par fives,” he said. “I only birdied one of the four in the past four days and that is the difference between winning and losing. It was still a good week though.”
