Emotional Green wins second European title

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2007 BA-CA Golf Open | Round Four | 11 Jun 2007

Richard Green today won his second European Tour victory in ten years of campaigning when he defeated Frenchman Jean-Francois Remesy at the first extra hole of a playoff at the BA-CA Golf Open in Vienna, but that statement alone hardly reflects the drama and emotion of the moment.

Green has often been in contention but seldom won anywhere, let alone on the European Tour, since his maiden win in Dubai in 1997 and after his victory today he talked very openly about the nerves he was feeling as he played the 72nd hole with a one shot lead.

“I have never felt as nervous as I did playing the last,” he said. “In the end I was probably lucky to get into the playoff,” he added, referring to the fact that he was forced to hole a three footer after missing one from four feet to win outright.

At that 72nd hole, Green was forced to lay up after his drive found the left hand rough. He then hit what appeared to be a perfect pitch from 100 yards which took a big bounce and finished just off the back edge of the green but only 14 feet from the hole. It came to rest in the fringe grass but it appeared a formality that he would at worst two putt and take the title by one over Remesy who had finished a thirty minutes earlier with a brilliant final round of 64.

Green’s first putt exploded out of his hands and ran just over four feet past. His next caught the top lip and ran past again. He was able to make his bogey putt but he had fallen back into a tie with Remesy who birdied five of his first six holes on the back nine to storm into contention.

Still no doubt shell shocked at the prospect of letting such a great opportunity slip, Green hit a superb drive at the first playoff hole but was matched by Remesy. The Frenchman was first to play his second and found the rocks short and right of the green. Green hit a three iron which was on a perfect line just left of the flag but again took a firm bounce and bounded through the green. Remesy took his drop and pitched to 20 feet while Green hit a fine pitch to two feet. When Remesy missed his par saving putt he conceded Green’s his. It was perhaps surprising that Green was not required to finish out but the title was Green’s and deservedly so.

Miguel Angel Jimenez had always appeared to be a threat to win the tournament despite not having a great season to date in 2007. When he eagled the par four fifth today he had moved to 14 under and had the lead over Green who double bogeyed the third to see his three shot lead disappear. Green got back on the horse with three more birdies before the turn and at 16 under led by two over Jimenez as he headed for home. He led Remesy by four at that point but Remesey’s barnstorming finish and the bogey at the last by Green brought them together in extra time.

Swede, Michael Jonzon, has moved into winning contention when he birdied five out of seven holes from the 9th but a bogey at the 17th cost him any realistic chance of winning. Still, his share of third place was another good result for the 35 year old after a couple of very lean years. This was Jonzon’s third top ten in just six starts in 2007.

Chris Gane shared third also with Jonzon and Jimenez after he also had stormed home over the closing nine. An eagle at the last may well prove crucial in his attempts to regain full status on the European Tour after missing out at the Tour School last November by one shot. It was a massive comeback by Gane after his opening round of 75 had him struggling to make the cut on Friday. He played the last 54 holes in 19 under par.

For the winner, Green, however, he has been able to rid himself of the endless questions he and so many others have asked as to why such a classy player has not won more often. In between the win in Dubai more than ten years ago there have been 11 top three finishes in Europe without a victory, although he did win the MasterCard Masters in Melbourne in 2004. That event has since joined the European Tour schedule.

In circumstances similar to that of his fellow left handed countryman, Nick O’Hern, Green was able to recover from a last hole stumble just as O’Hern had done late last year at the Australian PGA Championship. If either had gone on to lose then they may well have done long lasting damage to their capacity to win again. Both did win however and the cloud that has hung over both in terms of their capacity to win has been lifted.

Green again paid tribute to his caddy Stuart Dryden with whom he has had tremendous success. Dryden returned to the ‘real world’ in 2006 and worked in the coal mining industry in Newcastle in New South Wales but was back on Green’s bag late last year. The results this year speak for a very special player caddy relationship and it is hard to imagine that Green will let the veteran caddy off the bag again in the near future.

The next best of the Australians after Green was the improving Matthew Zions who put together last round of 67 to finish 21st. Zions was on target to do even better when he reached the 17th tee at 6 under for the day and 10 under for the tournament. The possibility of a par birdie finish would have seen him inside the top ten but a double bogey at the par three 17th would prove very costly.

David Bransdon was 33rd, Steve Alker 38th, Terry Pilkadaris 49th, Peter Fowler 52nd, Simon Nash 57th and Wade Ormsby 65th.

The European Tour has two events next week, the US Open at Oakmont and for those not eligible and wanting to play, the Open de St Omer in France, jointly sanctioned by both the European and Challenge Tours.