Shinkwin captures Cazoo Classic at Celtic Manor

Callum Shinkwin claimed his second DP World Tour title at the Cazoo Open after the Englishman cruised to a four-shot victory at The Celtic Manor Resort.

The 29-year-old atom Hertfordshire held a one-stroke advantage over Frenchman Julien Guerrier heading into the final round and, while he did relinquish the outright lead early on after a bogey at the third hole, he soon extended his lead and ruthlessly hammered home a dominant victory.

Three successive birdies from the fourth and another at the ninth meant he was five clear at the turn on the Twenty Ten Course and Shinkwin never relented, while Guerrier fell back as the Frenchman struggled on the final day. A couple of birdies on the way home earned Shinkwin a one-under final round 70 and a 12-under-par winning total.

Connor Syme had mounted a late charge with an eagle at the par-five 11th, followed by a trio of consecutive birdies from the 15th, but it was not enough to put serious pressure on the runaway leader and the Scot settled for a runner-up finish on eight under par, signing for a closing 68.

Shinkwin, who picked up €297,000 for the win, said: “I feel great, even though I had a few shots of a lead heading into the back nine it’s still not easy, especially when Connor made a charge. There was a lot of pressure still and even down the last, it’s still one of those ones you have to commit to with your shots.

“There were no crowds when I won in Cyprus because of Covid, and I was behind going into the final round then shot a great score and won in the play-off. Here I was in the lead heading into the final round and obviously it went very tight, then big gap, then tight-ish again. It’s much different this time.”

Shinkwin put a recent change of putter as the reason for his recent improvement in form. “I changed putter recently and I was using that exact same model three years ago, so I just kind of altered it. Instead of using a line on the top I put a dot and ever since then I’ve been rolling the ball really well. The scores haven’t been there before this, but this week was my week. Winning anywhere is fantastic, it’s a great feeling, winning with family and friends here it means so much more.”

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