Three years removed from his last victory, David Horsey would triumph over Damien McGrane in a playoff to win the M2M Russian Open after a dramatic and compelling final round.
29-year-old Englishman, Horsey, whose second European Tour victory came in Morocco in 2011, was in pole position after 54-holes, sharing the lead with Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, but Sunday would prove to be a more challenging proposition.
Horsey dropped shots on the fifth and sixth, but showed character by immediately responding with two successive birdies to take control of the tournament, with Whiteford struggling throughout the day.
However, Horsey’s march towards victory would be derailed by a costly double bogey on the 12th, which opened the door for Ireland’s Damien McGrane to liven up a poor season with a stunning final round.
The 43-year-old, from County Meath, was seven-under for the day after three straight birdies between the 15th and 17th holes of the Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club. His only win on the Tour came six years ago in China, with a lacklustre year to this point seeing him way down at 120th on the Race to Dubai.
It looked as though a second victory was on the cards for McGrane, before Horsey dramatically chipped-in for eagle on the par five 17th to close the gap. The Englishman’s hopes were given a further boost as the Irishman made bogey on the final hole – his only dropped shot of the day – to set the clubhouse target at 13-under.
Now requiring a par to send the tournament into a playoff, Horsey, seeking a birdie to win outright, would settle for a closing four that send the event into extra-time.
Back to the tee they went, with Horsey knowing that his previous playoff experience – in the Trophee Hassan II – resulted in victory, the 2010 BMW International Open champion would produce another par on the final hole.
With McGrane once again making a five on the 448 yard par four, a relieved Horsey would be triumphant for the third time on the European Tour.
“I’m relieved really – that’s the word that sums it up. It was quite similar to my last win, in Morocco, where I made a bit of a mess of a couple of holes on the back nine.
“I didn’t know where I was in the tournament until the 17th. I hit it through the back of the green there and then realised I was three behind and needed to do something drastic quite quickly.
“I managed to chip in there and was trying to make birdie at the last. I didn’t realise Damien had dropped one, but I managed to get up and down there and was fortunate to win the play-off as well.”
There will be natural disappointment for McGrane, but he can leave Russia knowing that his season is on the right track. “I played lovely all week so I’m very pleased with my week.
“I’m a little disappointed not to do better in the play-off there, but I’ve hit good shots all week and putted reasonably well.
“All in all I’m very positive and it’s good for me mentally as well. I can push on for the rest of the season with my card secure.
“There are a lot of good events before the end of the year and this has given me a lot of confidence going into them.”
It’s not often that an even-par final round of 72 will see you win on Tour, particularly having come into Sunday with a share of the lead. Although he may feel fortunate, this is a win that continues what has been a very good year for David Horsey.
In fact, it has now become a great one.