Colsaerts wins - Lee back in China
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2011 Volvo China Open | Final Round | 24 Apr 2011
Belgium golfer Nicolas Colsaerts has today won his first ever European Tour title ten years after first joining the Tour as an 18 year old in 2001.
Colsaerts led into the final round of the Volvo China Open in Chengdu and any suggestion of nerves in his pursuit of such a significant milestone was quickly put to bed with birdies at two of his first three holes to extend the lead. At the turn he was three ahead of Spaniard Pablo Martin but the further Colsaerts went the further he went ahead, his bogey free round of 66 securing him a four shot victory over a group of four players.
Soren Kjeldsen, Peter Lawrie, Danny Lee and Martin all shared second position, Martin’s final round of 63 the best of the day.
Colsaerts previous best finish in Europe had been when runner-up at the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2005 although he has won two events on the Challenge Tour.
Colsaerts has never finished better than 63rd in any one season on the European Tour although this victory will go a long way to changing all of that.
New Zealander Danny Lee recorded his best finish anywhere since his remarkable victory as an amateur at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth in 2009 and he will again be torn between the Nationwide and European Tours.
It is a very rewarding bounce-back for the 2008 US Amateur Champion after being disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard last week in Malaysia. There he had finished 17th and in Louisiana the week prior he had finished 7th so clearly he has a game that is returning to its best.
Aaron Townsend finished as the next best Australasian after Lee when 10th but it was a day that promised even more for the Novacastrian. Townsend, playing here courtesy of his One Asia Tour status, moved to 18 under and within three of the lead but a bogey at the 11th and a double at the 12th put paid to any winning hopes he may have had. To his credit however the former winner of the NSW Open and NSW PGA Championship recovered with three birdies before a yet another costly bogey at the last.
Amongst the next best of the Australasians, Victorian Anthony Brown did very well in this relatively strong field by finishing 16th, Brett Rumford was 22nd, Michael Wright 27th and Andrew Dodt and Daniel Gaunt 31st.
The European Tour will move to Korea for next week’s Ballantines Championship where it again joins forces with the Asian Tour while the One Asia Tour will also play its next event at the Maekyung Open in Korea although not until May 5th.
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