KLM Open 2019: Sergio Garcia wins 16th European Tour title

Sergio Garcia is the 2019 KLM Open champion, after his final round of 69 helped him to a total score of -18, winning the event by a single shot.

Sergio Garcia held on to defeat Nicolai Hojgaard by a single stroke at the 2019 KLM Open in the Netherlands on Sunday. The victory is the Spaniard’s 16th on the European Tour, with his first two titles coming back in 1999. With the win, he moves into the top 15 on the Race to Dubai list as well, a major boom as we near the end of the European Tour schedule.

There were some nervy moments in the final few holes for the experienced Garcia, though, as a bogey on the 17th cut his lead down to one. However, he recovered to par the 72nd hole of the week to take the title, his first of 2019.

With the win, the all-time Ryder Cup points record holder moves into the top three on the all-time European Tour money list, behind only Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy, but it was the win and the way he played that was most important this week.

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He finished a shot clear of Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard. The Danish youngster featured in the Junior Ryder Cup last year, and was participating in only his seventh event on the European Tour.

Hojgaard was one of six men to card a 68 on Sunday, the lowest round of the day, with third placed Matt Wallace also doing the same. The Englishman will rue the fact he shot a 75 on the first day. Anything in the red on Thursday and he would have ended up winning this event, especially after a course-record 63 on Saturday.

The entirety of the top six finished on their own, with no ties. James Morrison ended the week in fourth, while overnight joint-leader Callum Shinkwin made it a trio of Englishman in the top five.

However, it could have been much better for the 26-year-old, who at the halfway stage of his final round was sitting at the top level with Garcia. It was not to be though, as two bogeys and a double saw him drop back, finishing five shots off the Spaniard come the end of the day.

Rikard Karlberg finished on his own in sixth, ahead of the leading Dutchman, who was part of the trio that ended the week in a tie for seventh place, also seven shots back.

That man was Wil Besseling, who sat outside the top 500 in the Official World Golf Rankings coming into the KLM Open. He is projected to also move up 100 places on the Race to Dubai standings as well.

Besseling finished alongside Chile’s Hugo Leon and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren at -11, with compatriot, and the experienced home favourite, Joost Luiten, a further shot back.

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He ended his week just inside the top ten, alongside Bradley Dredge, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Thomas Pieters and Matthew Southgate, who all finished on -10.

The likes of Patrick Reed and Padraig Harrington both finished their KLM Open’s inside the top 15, whilst it was a wonderful debut for Euan Walker.

The young Scot was appearing on the European Tour for the first time this week and his final round of 73 was the only over-par score he had all week. The Scot finished in a tie for 40th at -5.

Last year’s champion Ashun Wu started off rather well, with a 69 on the first day, but he failed to shoot in the red again over the course of the final three rounds, as he dropped back to -2, and ended the defence of his title in a tie for 55th.

The Dutch amateur, Koen Kouwenaar, who hit the headlines this week for how worn his hands were after hitting 1,000 balls a day, ended the week at -1, alongside Trevor Immelman and others in a tie for 60th.

The next event on the European Tour is the BMW PGA Championship, the fourth of the eight Rolex Series events across the 2018-2019 calendar. The players will travel to Wentworth for one of the oldest tournaments on the schedule, with play starting this coming Thursday. Francesco Molinari will be looking to defend his title.

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2019 KLM Open Final Leaderboard:

1 (-18): Sergio Garcia (ESP)

2 (-17): Nicolai Hojgaard (DEN)

3 (-15): Matt Wallace (ENG)

4 (-14): James Morrison (ENG)

5 (-13): Callum Shinkwin (ENG)

6 (-12): Rikard Karlberg (SWE)

T7 (-11): Wil Besseling (NED), Hugo Leon (CHL), Joakim Lagergren (SWE)

T10 (-10): Joost Luiten (NED), Bradley Dredge (WAL), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Thomas Pieters (BEL), Matthew Southgate (ENG)

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