Robert MacIntyre won the Italian Open on Sunday after seeing off Matthew Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.
Scotland’s MacIntyre claimed his second win on the DP World Tour with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
US Open champion Fitzpatrick, who had a one-shot lead heading into the final round, had joined MacIntyre in the playoff after birdieing the 18th but missed a similar putt on the same hole to allow MacIntyre to win the title.
“This means everything … I’ve hit two of the perfect golf shots into the last there. So much hard work went into this,” said MacIntyre to Sky. “I’ve got a dogged attitude, never give up, I get punched but I punch back.
“At the start of the week I didn’t think this was going to be the one, the style of the golf course the way it was playing … but I felt so in control of my golf ball this week.”
Rory McIlroy was Fitzpatrick’s closest challenger after the third round but the Northern Irishman finished two shots off the pace after shooting three under.
South Africa’s Oliver Bekker shot a final-round 70 to end on eight under (T9).
MacIntyre is hoping to be in next year’s Ryder Cup which will be played at the same course and a superb seven under round on the final day helped him to victory.
He made six birdies and no bogeys while shooting a remarkable 29 on the front nine which gave him a two-shot lead.
However, from there, his form dipped and that allowed Fitzpatrick to take the lead on the 16th.
England’s Fitzpatrick then allowed MacIntyre to lead going into the clubhouse and once the pair went into the playoff the Scot replayed the 18th to perfection to claim the win.
© Agence France-Presse
