McGrane wins Volvo China Open
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2008 Volvo China Open | Round Four | 20 Apr 2008
37-year-old Damien McGrane may not have enjoyed the conditions on the final day of the Volvo China Open in Beijing but he will look back on the horror day of weather with the fondest of memories. McGrane won his first European Tour event by a massive nine shots as the rest of the field were unable to make eat into any of his third round lead in the rain that poured all day at the Beijing International Golf Club.
Rookie and 2007 Challenge Tour number one, Michael Lorenzo Vera and England’s Oliver Wilson and Simon Griffiths, tied for second although very much in the slipstream of McGrane.
McGrane is into his sixth season on the European Tour, a 3rd place finish at last year’s lucrative French Open perhaps the highlight to date. A runner up finish at the recent Indian Masters and a 6th place finish at his last starts in Portugal suggested his first win was getting nearer but this was a win in the most awful of conditions and not only was it a win but it was a demolishing.
Defending champion Markus Brier, Graeme McDowell and inform New Zealander Mark Brown shared fifth place with Brown maintaining his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit as a result. For Brown however he will look back on the last two holes and wonder what might have been. The Johnnie Walker Classic champion had the runner up position all tied up until dropping four shots in his last two holes to finish 5th. The stumble cost him as much as €100,000
David Bransdon and Scott Strange were the next best of the Australasians in 14th place with Strange in particular succumbing to the last day conditions with a round of 81.
Adam Groom had a much better week when 18th, Marcus Both 24th, Scott Barr 28th, Marcus Fraser 44th and Gavin Flint 53rd.
The European and Asian Tours now head south to Shanghai for this week’s BMW Asian Open.
