Manassero’s rise continues in Malaysia
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open | Final Round | 17 Apr 2011
Still two days short of his 18th birthday, Italy’s Matteo Manassero has today won the Maybank Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club by one shot over Frenchman Gregory Bourdy and in doing so has secured his second European Tour title.
Rory McIlroy three putted the final hole when throwing one last dice at the winner and finished third one shot further back.
Manassero turned professional immediately after an impressive debut as an amateur at the Masters in 2010 and made an almost immediate impact in the professional ranks. He not only won the Castello Masters in Spain but finished runner-up in Hong Kong late in the season gaining him access to the Dubai World Championship.
This victory against this strong field however will ensure a huge leap in the world ranking from his current 57th to somewhere inside the top 35. Without a start at this year’s Masters it may just be that it will be some time before this brilliant talent is without a start in a major championship.
The final day developed into a battle between Manassero, who led into the final round, McIlroy, who was looking to put the horror of last Sunday at Augusta National behind him and probably one of the European Tour’s most consistent players, despite his 123rd world ranking, Gregory Bourdy.
Bourdy has missed only one cut in his last 31 starts on the European Tour and today it appeared he might be finally rewarded for that consistency. He made a fast start to his round and by the 6th hole had the lead.
Manassero grabbed the lead back when he eagled the 10th and birdied the 11th but a bogey at the 12th had him back in a share of the lead with Bourdy. He then holed a 12 foot birdie putt at the 14th to take the lead for what would be the last time.
McIlroy appeared as if he might produce a spectacular bounce back when he led for much of the event and then moved within one of Manassero through 11 holes. He was bought undone by a double bogey at the 12th after plugging in the front bunker but kept coming with a three further birdies in his quest to catch the leader.
McIlroy bogeyed the final hole after being faced with an almost impossible birdie putt to catch Manassero but to have finished third and to have contended for as long as he did given the circumstances speaks volumes for the young man.
The leading Australasians were Daniel Gaunt, Tim Stewart, Brett Rumford and New Zealanders Danny Lee and Mark Brown. They finished in a share of 17th position.
Marcus Fraser was 33rd and Michael Campbell was 36th and for Campbell it was yet another step in the right direction. After nearly eighteen months in the golfing wilderness Campbell is beginning to string together several good tournaments and it would seem he is on the way back to some reasonable form as his confidence builds.
