Martin creates history on European Tour
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championship | Round Four | 15 Dec 2009
Two years ago Spaniard Pablo Martin became the first amateur to win an event on the European Tour when he won the Estoril Open de Portugal. That effort was matched when Danny Lee won the Johnnie Walker Classic this year but in the second to last European Tour event of 2009 and the first event of the 2010 season, Martin has gone one better than Lee by winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Malelane, South Africa.
Martin becomes the only player to win events on the European Tour as both an amateur and a professional.
Martin began 2009 without making a cheque in his first seven tournaments and narrowly avoided losing his European Tour exemption for this season. Taking advantage of the starts his lowly ranking would give him, Martin made the journey to South African and it has paid off handsomely with a one shot win over previous winner Charl Schwartzel and ironically leads the Race to Dubai for 2010.
Denmark’s Anders Hansen was one shot further back in third position.
Andrew Tampion was the only Australian in the event but missed the cut by one shot.
