Andres Romero shot the round of the day to beat Sergio Garcia, Thomas Detry and Richard Bland and claim the BMW International, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
With the attention of Masters champion Sergio Garcia, in cruise control for a large portion of Sunday afternoon, it was the Argentinian Romero who snuck passed his nearest challengers to win the €2 000 000 event.
Romero’s round was even more remarkable as he opened with seven pars before going on a birdie blitz starting at the eighth, and included red numbers on all but the 10th and 12th before his last birdie on the 15th. He made two pars to arrive at the 18th with a rather unlikely shot at glory.
Detry shot 67 on Sunday, but failed to make a birdie at the last as he fell out of contention with Romero next up and finding the green for two. He left his first attempt four feet short, but bravely rolled in his birdie to take the outright lead with Garcia and Bland needing a 3 to force extra holes.
For Garcia, it was ninth time unlucky as he fell agonisingly short just when the headline writers had started to write his name in bold. Co-leader heading into the final round, his name was at the top of the leaderboard until Romero’s charge. Then he missed from three feet for par on the 16th.
The Spaniard made par on 17 and when his long iron into the 18 failed to cut to a tight pin on the left and instead found a thick rough, it was Romero’s name being engraved on the trophy. But not before Garcia had got the crowd off their feet when his wonderfully-hit chip ran just past the right of the cup as he settled for a par and a share of second place alongside Detry and Bland.
Bland, without a win in 17 years on tour, hit a magnificent second in 18 but could not force the playoff as his putt slid past allowing Romero to finally celebrate in the clubhouse.
Hennie Otto secured a memorable top 10 finish with a birdie on the last hole and in the process was the best-placed South African on -12. He opened with a bogey and made just one more, a five on the 15th, as he enjoyed a day littered with birdies. He made the turn in -2 and was a shot better off after a 4 on the 11th.
The 40-year-old knocked Henrik Stenson out of the top 10 when he sank his birdie effort on 18, a hole that will be remembered fondly after eagles there on Friday and Saturday.
George Coetzee was joined on -9 by Lyoness Open winner Dylan Frittelli, after both closed with a two-under-par 70. Coetzee’s round was littered with bogeys and birdies as he worked his way to two-under at the turn after birdies at 6, 7 and 9, including his sole bogey on the front nine at the par four third.
The back nine was a different story as he opened with a bogey, made a birdie 4 at the 11th. Drops at 14 and 16 meant that his closing two birdies were damage control, instead of adding glamour to the end of the round.
Frittelli joined Coetzee at T13 for the tournament and will be ruing his double bogey on the 16th hole – he arrived on the tee three under par after birdies at 5, 9, 11 and 14, with only his bogey at the third taking shine off his card. A closing birdie helped him to a tally of 279.
Trevor Fisher Jnr, who got into the event as the first reserve following SSP Chawrasia’s late withdrawal, and Jaco Van Zyl finished inside the top 20 as they matched each other with 71s, albeit in far different styles. Fisher Jnr, who finished inside the top 10 at both the SA Open and the Trophee Hassan II this year, had just four bogeys on his card all week, but made half as many by the seventh hole. He opened with a five on the first and made another on the 7th to bookend birdies on the third, fifth and sixth holes.
A double bogey at the 10th ended his hopes of moving into the top 10, but he managed two birdies – 11 and 15 – to ease the pain somewhat.
Van Zyl concentrated his Sunday highs to the six holes from the sixth to the 12th after opening with six straight birdies. Birdies at 6 and 7 were diminished by a bogey on 8 before he closed with a birdie on the par 5 9th to turn at -2. Unfortunately, he turned with two bogeys before a late birdie – a 2 on the 17th – helped him get to red figures for the day.
Van Zyl’s Olympic teammate Brandon Stone made two doubles en route to a 73 and a T31 finish on -6.
Keeping with the symmetry, both Ernie Els and Jaco Ahlers finished on -2 and with 73s on Sunday as they settled for a share of 59th place.
Zander Lombard, who has two second-place finishes this year, was a shot further back after closing with a 73.
Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images
