Gregory Bourdy showed nerves of steel to sink three mammoth birdie putts in a row and seal victory at the Wales Open on Sunday. The Frenchman was tied for the lead with overnight front-runner Peter Uihlein after 15 holes but found his putting groove on the final three to register a thrilling triumph. He holed from 50 feet on the par-four 16th, rolled in a testing 15-footer at the next, and rounded it all off with a 30-foot putt to finish four under for the day, eight under overall. The run of form, which saw him edge American Uihlein by two shots, was made all the more remarkable by the fact that Bourdy had failed to pick up a single shot across the same three holes over the first three rounds at Celtic Manor. “It was an amazing round,” he said. “I made an amazing finish with three birdies in a row and I am so happy. “I will remember the finish on this great course for a long time. A lot of great moments have been here; I was thinking about the Ryder Cup on the 18th so I am so proud to win this trophy.” Uihlein saw his three-shot lead disappear after shooting a one-over 72, while Soren Kjeldsen shot a field-leading 66 to move up 13 places and take third. The Dane&aposs only blemish came on the 18th, when he carded a bogey to finish three off the lead. There were other big movers in the top 10, with Europe&aposs 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley among them, signing for a final-round 67 to jump up 34 positions to joint eighth. Home favourite Liam Bond, who was the surprise leader at the halfway point, finished in a tie for 43rd place, five over par for the tournament. Brett Rumford (-1) was the best placed of the Australian contingent as he finished in a seven-way tie for eighth, with Richard Green (+4), Scott Arnold (+10) and Andrew Dodt (+16) all ending the tournament well off the pace.
Author: Omnisport