Late charge from Samooja secures debut DP title

KALLE Samooja carded a stunning final round of 64 to overturn a seven-shot deficit and claim his first DP World Tour title in the Porsche European Open.

Samooja fired eight birdies, including three in the last four holes, to establish a course record and set the clubhouse target on six under par, with the final groups still having nine holes to play.

France’s Victor Perez, who was seeking back-to-back victories after winning the Dutch Open last week, birdied the 10th and 11th to move into a share of the lead, only to bogey three of the next four holes.

Holland’s Wil Besseling then got within a shot of Samooja when he birdied the 13th, but ran up a double bogey on the 15th which included a dreaded shank.

Besseling bounced back to birdie the next, but when he bogeyed the 17th Samooja’s victory was effectively assured.

A birdie on the 18th meant Besseling secured outright second place on four under, with Perez and England’s Richard Mansell sharing third on three under.

An emotional Samooja, 34, said: “It’s truly special. It’s been a long journey, been close a few times.

“We had a number in mind today and we reached that, we thought it might be enough and it was a long two-hour wait at the clubhouse to see guys battle it out and fortunately it was enough.”

Ten places in the year’s third major championship were available via a mini order of merit from the last four DP World Tour events, with Samooja joined at Brookline by Perez, Besseling, Mansell, Ryan Fox, Thorbjorn Olesen, Sam Horsfield, Sebastian Soderberg, Yannik Paul and Marcel Schneider.

■ AMERICAN Billy Horschel claimed victory in the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.

The former FedEx champion carded a level par round of 72 at Muirfield Village Golf Club for a four-stroke victory over compatriot Aaron Wise.

■ ZIMBABWE’S Scott Vincent secured back-to-back wins with victory in the International Series England, the first Asian Tour event to be staged in the UK.

Vincent, who won the Mizuno Open on the Japan Tour last Sunday, carded a final round of 66 at Slaley Hall to finish 12 under par, a shot ahead of Australia’s Travis Smyth, who bogeyed the 72nd hole.