McEVOY HITS THE JACKPOT
He’s never been in Order of Merit top 100 in 17 seasons, but finally...
Richard McEvoy scripted one of the great underdog victories in European Tour history yesterday with a fairytale triumph in the Porsche European Open in hamburg.
The 39-year- old from Essex, who has never finished inside the top 100 in the Order of Merit in any of his 17 seasons on tour, was up against Masters champion Patrick reed and formidable young american, Bryson dechambeau.
But while reed struggled in the wind and dechambeau turned into deShambles over the last four holes, it was McEvoy who held his nerve with a birdie at the 18th for a onestroke victory and a first prize of £300,000 that is considerably more than he has ever made before in an entire season.
‘This just feels incredible, it was such a rollercoaster out there,’ said an emotional McEvoy. ‘i’ve waited a long time for this. i’ve been a pro for 17 years and there have been a lot of up and downs but today i fought hard, and i believed.’
McEvoy has had the month of his life, one that started with a victory in a pro-am at Queenwood in Surrey, where he came out on top against the likes of rory Mcilroy and Justin rose with a course-record 64.
he took the confidence from that on to the challenge Tour last week where he claimed the £30,000 first prize before this stunning maiden success on the main tour, at the 285th time of asking.
McEvoy was a top amateur who was in the same victorious 2001 Walker cup team as Luke donald and Graeme Mcdowell but, as a pro, always appeared to lack that ounce of self-belief that makes all the difference.
he has been to the qualifying school a dozen times but he will now have no such worries this year after moving up roughly 200 places in the world rankings to around 81st, and into the top 70 in the race to dubai.
‘a month ago, i just resolved to enjoy my golf more,’ said McEvoy, which is easier said than done, of course, when there are bills to pay.
McEvoy led into the closing holes but the pressure went through the roof after he bogeyed the 17th to fall into a tie with italian renato Paratore, Swede christofer Blomstrand and German amateur allen John.
dechambeau was just a shot behind, despite bogeys at two par fives, the 15th and 16th. The 18th was another long hole where he faltered again in spectacular fashion, twice going into the water for an horrific eight.
it was hardly what McEvoy needed to see, but he stayed out of the trouble and gave himself a chance of victory from 20 feet following a wedge approach. it was the moment he had been waiting for all his professional life and how he seized it, with a putt that dropped into the centre of the hole.
McEvoy is the fifth Englishman to win on tour this season after chris Paisley, Tommy Fleetwood, Eddie Pepperell and Matt Wallace (twice) — and surely the most unexpected. Feelgood victories simply do not come any better than this one for one of the game’s nice guys.