Hanson keeps up form for top-20 finish

JORDAN Smith claimed his first European Tour title after a play-off at the Porsche European Open near Hamburg – and there was an excellent show from Chris Hanson.

Smith, from Bath, won at the second extra hole after finishing tied with defending champion Alex Levy on 13 under – but only after the Frenchman had missed a putt to win from inside three feet on the pair’s first trip back down the 18th.

The 24-year-old Smith (pictured below right), who held a two shot lead overnight, began his final round with a birdie but dropped shots on the sixth and eighth to leave the door ajar for Levy, who shot a closing 69, to challenge for the lead on the back nine.

Smith regained the lead with a birdie from three feet at the 11th but left his bunker shot at the 13th short and missed a 20 footer for par.

Levy and Smith both birdied the 15th and it was the former who went ahead with another gain at the next, only for Smith to get up-and-down at the last to force a play-off with a round of 71.

Levy then missed a three-foot birdie effort as they replayed the 18th hole, but when Smith was presented with a similar opportunity on the next trip down the last he made no mistake.

Sweden’s Johan Edfors (70) and Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman (68) finished tied for third on 11 under, while Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and England’s Ashley Chesters both recorded top-ten finishes.

Hanson enjoyed a positive finish to the tournament, carding successive 70s in rounds three and four to end up six under par for a share of 19th place.

The Woodsome Hall professional, 31, might even have troubled the top of the leaderboard in Germany had he maintained his excellent start to round four.

Three successive birdies on the opening holes thrust him to seven under, only for bogeys at five, nine, 13 and 14 to hinder his progress despite three further birdies in an up-anddown closing round.

Howley Hall professional Marcus Armitage suffered badly at the hands of adverse weather conditions to miss the cut, finishing on 10 over par.

Starting round two one over par, a rain delay worked against the 30-year-old as three straight double bogeys at 10, 11 and 12 in round two saw him card 81.