Angel Cabrera emerged from an extraordinary final round at The De Vere Belfry to triumph in the Benson and Hedges International Open and claim his second victory on The European Tour International Schedule.
Entering the closing holes, six players harboured a realistic chance of victory but the 32 year old Argentinian proved the pick of the bunch, his closing 69 for a ten under par total of 278, giving him the title by one stroke from Barry Lane with Michael Campbell, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie one shot further adrift on 280 and Peter Baker sixth on 281.
It was the second win for an Argentinian golfer in the event, following Vicente Fernandez’s success at Fulford in 1975, and the winners’ cheque of 294,356 euro (£183,330) lifted Cabrera, whose maiden European Tour victory came in last season’s Open de Argentina, to sixth on the Volvo Order of Merit
“To win a big tournament such as this is great, really great, and I hope this can be the start of a really good season for me,” said Cabrera, who finally clinched victory in the event after finishing tied for second, ninth and second in the past three years.
Having started the final round three shots off the pace, solid golf saw Cabrera grasp the outright lead for the first time at the tenth where his gamble to go for the green from the tee paid off when he pitched and putted for birdie to move to ten under par.
The Argentinian’s prominence was short lived however, a poor drive into a fairway bunker at the 11th costing him a bogey five to drag him back into the fascinating six-way fight for the spoils.
While the fortunes of the other challengers fluctuated, Cabrera remained solid, six par figures following before he made a telling thrust at the 564 yard 17th, his prodigious length helping him to the centre of the green in two before two putting for birdie.
With no-one else able to get into double figures under par, it was assumed a par four at the last would be good enough for victory but even the execution of that was not straightforward, Cabrera’s pulled two iron approach shot flirting with the water before coming to rest inside a spectator’s carrier bag.
Having been given a free drop, the Argentinian held his nerve admirably to produce a masterful pitch to within two feet of the pin, from where he holed out with ease for a 69.
Victory was not assured however, a play-off required if Lane, in the final group behind, could find a birdie at the 473 yard 18th. Having driven into the bunker however, that was always unlikely although the Englishman’s brave three wood from sand to the front edge of the green set up the par four which gave him second place outright.
Lane, whose 73 for a nine under par total of 279 gave him 196,237 euro (£122,220) and lifted him to 12th on the Volvo Order of Merit had victory in his sights when he birdied the par five 15th to move to ten under par.
But when the 41 year old, whose last victory on The European Tour came in the 1994 Turespaña Open de Baleares, three putted the 16th for bogey five at the same moment Cabrera birdied the 17th, and then proceeded not to make birdie himself on the 17th, he knew his chance had gone.
Of the three players tied for third place on eight under par 280, the most aggrieved was Montgomerie, who was left to rue crucial mistakes at the tenth and 18th holes. In total the Scot shed three shots at the two holes, when two par figures would have seen him finish ahead of Cabrera.
At the tenth, a trip over the back of the green and a subsequent one into the water at the front cost the seven time Volvo Order of Merit winner a double-bogey six and, although he battled back magnificently with birdies at the 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th, a wayward drive at the last forced him to lay up short of the water from where he made bogey five for a 69.
Like Montgomerie, his Ryder Cup colleague Harrington and New Zealander Campbell both dropped shots at the last, Harrington finishing with 69 while Campbell settled for 70. Harrington had made a move with birdies at the 11th, 12th and 15th while Campbell, who birdied the 15th and 17th, was left to rue a dropped shot at the 13th where he drove out of bounds.
Sixth placed Peter Baker rediscovered the form which he showed at The De Vere Belfry in 1993 when he was one of the star performers for Europe in The Ryder Cup Matches against the United States.
A birdie at the short 14th moved the 34 year old Midlander to nine under par and within sight of his first European Tour victory for nine years, but a dropped shot at the 15th stopped his momentum and he had to settle for a closing level par 72.
Elsewhere, the performance of the final round came from Australia’s Adam Scott, the winner of the Qatar Masters in March, who equalled Lane’s third round course record 65 to move from tied 64th to tied 19th on two under par 286.
