Michael Hoey showed that he is back-to-form as he cruised today to a four shot victory at the M2M Russian Open today at the Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club in Moscow, Russia.
The 34-year-old native of Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, shot a two-under 70 today in what was a mere process round as he started with a four shot lead over 36-hole leader Rikard Karlberg. He finished at 16-under 272 for the tournament, four shot ahead of last year’s winner France’s Alexander Kaleka and England’s Matthew Dixon.
Yesterday, on ‘Moving Day’, he made the biggest move by seizing the lead thanks to brilliant seven-under 65, which was the day’s low round. Today, he began his final round with six consecutive pars but birdies at the seventh and eighth saw him advance to 16 under par and turn five clear.
His only blemish came on the Par-4 12th hole where he dropped his only bogey today. This gave the field some hope that they could catch the runaway Hoey, with last year’s winner Kaleka and Dane JB Hansen closing the gap to two before Hoey birdied the 17th, virtually sealing the win as his opponents were dropping shots.
Hoey said on his interview: “I have absolutely loved the golf course this week. The putting was the key for me. I have been working hard on that a lot recently and the improvement is really showing because I making a lot of birdies.”
"That is the main difference at this level. You have to be able to make a lot of putts because the standard is so high these days that it usually comes down to who makes the most putts. The putting was the key for me. I have been working hard on that a lot recently and the improvement is really showing because I making a lot of birdies.”
Hoey, had not finished better than 25th on The European Tour this season and missed seven of his last ten cuts coming into the event. This is the first European Tour title for the former British Amateur champion since the Hassan Trophy in March 2012 .
He started the tournament in 142nd place in the Race to Dubai although his European Tour card was already safe for next year as a result of his victories over recent seasons, including the 2011 Dunhill Links Championship .
Kaleka, who captured this title last year when it formed part of the Challenge Tour schedule, had five birdies before bogeying the 18th for a 68, while Nixon came home in 33 for a 69.
Hansen finished alone in fourth after dropping two shots on the 18th for a 68, with China’s Liang Wen-chong, France’s Gregory Havret and English pair James Morrison and Mark Foster a shot further back on ten under.
The tournament marked the first time in five years that the European Tour would hold an official tournament in Russia. The course is a Jack Nicklaus signature course, the first one built by The Golden Bear in Russia—his design studio is currently working on a new project in Sochi, the city on Black Sea hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The M2M Russian Open according to Europeantour.com: “provided the perfect opportunity to introduce the people of Russia to the game of golf at Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club thanks to free lessons provided by The European Tour, The Ryder Cup European Development Trust, The R&A, The PGAs of Europe and The PGA of Russia.”
Great venue and effort by the organizing groups; hopefully we can see a better lineup of players as the tournament moves forward in the next few years.