Robert MacIntyre clinched a maiden European Tour title when he won the Cyprus Showdown by one shot on Sunday.
The Scot produced a grandstand finish as a second cut was forced after Saturday in a new format that saw 19 players reset their score for an exciting final round at the Aphrodite Hills Golf Course, despite a short rain delay.
MacIntyre, who won Rookie of the Year on Tour last year, shot a spectacular seven-under-par 64, which included a birdie on the 18th to edge in front of Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura for victory.
READ: De Jager continues Cyprus fight
‘This is what I’ve been working for. It’s been a difficult few months for me, only my family know what is going on. I can’t believe it,’ an emotional MacIntyre said.
‘My game is there, tee to green I’ve been absolutely brilliant the last two weeks but the putter has been cold – stone cold. When the rain delay came in there I said to (caddie) Mike, ‘it’s time to show up’.
‘I hit a great iron shot into 15 and there it was, it turned up right at the right time.’
Louis de Jager was the only South African in action over the weekend and had a foot in the door early on Sunday when he made some good ground with a couple of birdies.
De Jager, in the end, finished his week in a solid T9 and on two under par thanks to a final-round 69.
