Christiaan Bezuidenhout ends Sergio Garcia’s reign at the Andalucia Masters

Christiaan Bezuidenhout only needed a level par round on the final day of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters to take his first European Tour title.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout just became the first person not named Sergio Garcia to win the Andalucia Masters since Graeme McDowell in 2010. The 25-year-old finished the event on 10-under-par, winning comfortably from a group of five players, who ended the tournament six shots behind.

Bezuidenhout’s final round was little more than a victory march, as he was by far the most consistent player in the field. He never shot the lowest round of any of the four days, but he was one of just a handful of players to avoid a single over-par scorecard as well.

This was also the completion of a remarkable journey for a player who has overcome significant obstacles in his relatively short life and career. Bezuidenhout accientally consumed rat poison at the age of two, which left him with significant nervous system issues and a severe stutter.

By the time he was 14, the anxiety this caused him led him to be prescribed beta blockers. While he said he filed all the necessary paperwork for the drugs, he tested positive for them (no surprise) at the 2014 British Amateur. He was originally suspended for two years, with his appeal only getting the sentence reduced to nine months.

In the years since, he’s made one thing very clear: he’s going to let his golf do most of the talking for him, and let anybody who wants to hold on to the idea that he’s a cheater fall behind on the leaderboards.

The victory in Spain also has guaranteed the South Africa a debut at The Open, held at Royal Portrush next month. He will be joined by Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Spaniard Adri Arnaus, as the highest-ranked that finished in a tie for second.

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Also in that group with three other Spaniards. World No.11 Jon Rahm also finished at -4, countrymen with Eduardo de la Riva and Alvaro Quiros.

Quiros shot 66 on the final day, as he moved up from T30 up the group in tied 2nd. The Spaniard did well to recover after shooting a 76 on Saturday.

Event host, and three-time defending champion, Sergio Garcia finished on his own in 7th place at -3, with 2018 Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn in amongst a five-man group at -2.

The Dane was joined by Thomas Detry, Gavin Green, Bern Ritthammer and Hideto Tanihara in a tie for 8th place.

The Japanese player, along with home favourite Rahm, both started the final day’s play at -5, five shots back from Bezuidenhout. However, both men posted over-par rounds to drop away from the South African come Sunday afternoon.

Last week’s BMW International Open hole-in-one hero Gaganjeet Bhullar, along with England’s Andy Sullivan, were the last men to finish under par, ending the event at -1. Only 14 players finished in the red numbers after four days in Andalucia.

The next event on the European Tour sees preparations begin ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open takes place at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare from Thursday, July 4, through to Sunday, July 7. The event is also part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series.

Results – Top 20:

• -10: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA)
• -4: Adri Arnaus, Eduardo de la Riva, Alvaro Quiros, Jon Rahm (all ESP), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
• -3: Sergio Garcia (ESP)
• -2: Thomas Bjorn (DEN), Thomas Detry (BEL), Gavin Green (MAS), Bernd Ritthammer (GER), Hideto Tanihara (JAP)
• -1: Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND), Andy Sullivan (ENG)
• E: Steven Brown (ENG), Jorge Camillo (ESP), Scott Jamieson (SCO), Jack Singh Brar (ENG),  Julian Suri (USA)