The Italian beat Matthew Fitzpatrick to win his second European Tour title.
Andrea Pavan Wins BMW International Open After Play-off
Italian Andrea Pavan secured his second European Tour title at the BMW International Open thanks to a play-off victory over Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick.
He had initially started the day four shots back but produced a sublime 66 to get into the clubhouse at 15-under. On a stellar final-day which saw several players take the lead like Matt Wallace, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Matthias Schwab, it eventually became a two-horse race between Pavan and Fitzpatrick.
Indeed at one stage it looked as if Fitzpatrick had the tournament in the bag but a bogey on the 17th meant he had to birdie the last to ensure his participation in the playoff. He did and the pair went back down the 18th.
After both players parred the hole, they went back to the tee again as the rain started to fall.
It's Play-Off victory for @AndreaPavan89!
#BMWInternationalOpen pic.twitter.com/pZY39ROLxA
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) June 23, 2019
Pavan played a poor second shot but produced a miraculous third to set-up a birdie that proved to be the difference after Fitzpatrick failed to get up and down from the green side bunker.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I thought I had a chance starting the day.
“I was playing very well coming into the week, I just hit a few bad drives – it’s always a little bit of an Achilles heel. This hole (the 18th) is not the best for me without the driver but I managed to make birdie.
“I was feeling the rush. I had a little pitching wedge and luckily I got a decent lie but it just felt great, it was really close.
“Two years ago at this moment I was really struggling. I can’t thank enough my coach, my caddie, my family, my wife – it’s really amazing.”
The win boosts him inside the worlds top-100 to his best slot of 83rd. Fitzpatrick has now jumped inside the top-30 as well.
BMW International Open Leaderboard
1 Andrea Pavan
2 Matthew Fitzpatrick
T3 Christiaan Bezuidenhout
T3 Edoardo Molinari
T3 Alvaro Quiros
T3 Matthias Schwab
T3 Jordan Smith
T3 Matt Wallace
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