Dramatic start to Final Series in Turkey

“The Final Series” is thrilling and very lucrative, especially for the select 78 players who get to tee-off in the four ‘blockbuster’ events staged at the close of the European Tour season. The limited field goes even lower in the final tournament in the Race to Dubai (DP World Tour Championships in Dubai, 19-22 November) when a mere 60 players go head-to-head for a share of the 8 million dollar purse.

 

Frenchman Victor Dubuisson walked off with the first win of the Final Series in the Turkish Airlines Open (29 Oct – 1Nov). The 25-year old, who made his spectacular Ryder Cup debut at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014, had been struggling with his game this season.  After opening with 69-64-67, he went from strength to strength on the Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Course in Antalya on Sunday though finishing with a flourish of three birdies in the last four holes to card a 6-under par, 66 to get to 22-under and seize the trophy.

 

It was a dramatic day with a number of top-notch players in the chasing pack including former world number one from Northern Ireland, Rory McIlory. He had begun the day one shot off the lead.  But it was to be a double delight for the Frenchman, who also won the Turkish Airlines Open two years ago.  Victor’s victory, just one stroke ahead of Jaco van Zyl from South Africa, earned him his biggest prize cheque ever – 1,027,669 euros, to be precise. It was an emotional scene on the 18th green.

 

With his Turkish Open victory Dubuisson also has a quirky new claim to fame as he becomes the first player in European Tour history to be the oldest and youngest winner of the same event. Without doubt, his win will be a great source of inspiration to many players, both professional and amateur. He admits that, before Turkey, he had not had such a good season: “I couldn’t hit a putt all year”!  The man from Cannes is now ranked number 35 in the World Ranking and number 7 in the Race to Dubai.

 

Struggling to make an impression

 

While some players like Dutchman Joost Luiten and English ‘spaceman’ Andy Sullivan, who won the Portugal Masters recently, struggled to make a big impression on the par 72 course at Antalya, their level par for the tournament (60th place), still earned them a cheque for nearly 13,000 euros. There is not a 36-hole cut in “The Final Series” which is lucky for another Frenchman.  Mike Lorenzo-Vera did not have the best of weeks (+14) but was still rewarded 7,135 euros out of the 7 million dollar prize fund for his effort as last man in the field.

 

Next stop in The Final Series: WGC – HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China, 5-8 November.

 

Wendy Hoad