Turkish delight for Syme as Campillo wins at 229th attempt
Connor Syme made a winning start in his first season on the Challenge Tour, justifying his decision to bypass the Trophee Hassan II on the European Tour by landing the Turkish Airlines Challenge in Atakum on the Black Sea coast.
The 25-year-old Drumoig man birdied the first extra hole to beat Italian Francesco Laporta in a play-off after the pair had finished locked together on 23-under-par in a low-scoring event at Samsun Golf Club.
Syme’s success was the fifth tartan triumph on the second-tier circuit in less than 12 months, handing him a huge early boost in his bid to secure a spot back on the main tour next season.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” he said after twice bouncing back from potentiallydamaging bogeys over the closing stretches with birdies at the next hole as he closed with a five-under-par
67 for a 265 total.
“I felt last night that I was in the perfect position [sitting three shots off the lead]. The way the course is it is difficult to keep pushing the whole time and when you are ahead it is probably harder. I was in a good position where I wasn’t sleeping on a lead. I was there to shoot a number and I was able to do that.”
In his rookie season on the European Tour, Syme finished runner-up in the Shot Clock Masters in Austria before narrowly missing out on holding on to his card. He played in six main Tour events at the start of this season, but has been gearing up over the past few weeks for the Challenge Tour, where Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston, David Law and Bob Macintyre were all graduates last year.
“It is massive,” admitted Syme of his winning start. “A few people might have been thinking why I hadn’t gone to Morocco this week, so it was good to come here and win to justify my decision. It sets me up really well for the rest of the season and hopefully it is just the start.”
The event in Morocco was won by Spaniard Jorge Campillo as he recovered from a poor start in the final round at Royal Dar Es Salam in Rabat to break his duck on the circuit at the 229th time of asking.
The 32-year-old had come into the €2.5 million tournament with two second places and a third in his last four events and, when he bogeyed two of his first three holes in round four, it looked like he may miss out again.
But Campillo held his nerve brilliantly, birdieing the 16th and 17th to hit the front at nineunder and finish ahead of Americans Sean Crocker and Julian Suri, and South African Erik van Rooyen after a closing 71. “It’s been a while but it’s worth it,” said Campillo. “I’m just going to enjoy this. I made so many promises that I have to do after I win that I might have to take a few weeks off!” Grant Forrest, left, finished joint-sixth after being in sole second spot before running up a double-bogey 5 at the ninth. But it was another strong performance by the 25-year-old from North Berwick in his rookie season on the circuit, having also finished in the top 10 in Mauritius.
“I was cruising along after eight holes and made probably my worst swing of the week on nine in the water,” said Forrest. “I gave myself lots of chances coming in, just wasn’t to be. But it was great just being in the mix. I know that my game’s not far away, so it’s really encouraging.”
In the LET’S Lalla Meryem Cup, which was running concurrently at the same venue, Nuria Iturrios made it a Spanish double as she stormed to a seven-shot success.