In-form Austrian wins sixth European Tour title as Benjamin Hebert misses out
Sunday 14 July 2019 21:53, UK
Bernd Wiesberger beat Benjamin Hebert at the third play-off hole to win the ASI Scottish Open and claim his sixth European Tour title.
A par at the 18th at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick was good enough to earn the Austrian victory in the third Rolex Series event of the season after Hebert made a bogey.
Hebert, who had earlier fired a nine-under 62 in the final round, spurned two chances to claim his maiden victory on the first two play-off holes before missing another short putt to hand Wiesberger the win.
The Frenchman does, at least, have the consolation of securing one of the three qualifying places for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush, with Andrew 'Beef' Johnston and Italian Nino Bertasio taking the other two.
Romain Langasque of France finished in third place on 20 under after closing with a 67, with Johnston and Bertasio in a five-way tie for fourth on 19 under along with Henrik Stenson, Andrew Putnam and Andrea Pavan.
Wiesberger, who won the Made In Denmark in May before finishing joint-second in last week's Irish Open, started the day with a two-shot lead but found himself behind the charging Hebert after making a bogey at the second.
Hebert had raced to the turn in 30 and added further birdies at the 10th, 12th and 13th, while Wiesberger responded with birdies at the seventh and ninth.
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A birdie at the 17th enabled Hebert to set the clubhouse target on 22-under 262 and he was joined on that score by Wiesberger after he birdied the 12th.
The Austrian then edged ahead by holing from 15 feet for a birdie at the 16th only to then bogey the 17th before holing out from five feet for par at the 18th for a two-under 69 which forced the play-off.
Hebert missed a birdie putt from eight feet to win the title at the first play-off hole - the 18th - and then pushed a four-foot par putt right after Wiesberger had also three-putted when they returned to the same green minutes later.
It was a similar story for the Frenchman the third time around when he missed another par putt from five feet, and Wiesberger stepped up to sink his par putt for a win which takes him to the top of the Race to Dubai standings.
"I knew it was not going to come easy," said Wiesberger, who missed seven months of last season following wrist surgery. "I had a great warm up this morning and then it just got a little tough for me.
"I wasn't hitting the ball as good as the first three days and just dug in there. It was a great week for Ben, he could have snatched it off me on the first two play-off holes but I am so glad how it has turned out."
Hebert's 62 was matched by an emotional Johnston, who bogeyed the 18th after having a 59 in his sights over the closing holes, but the Englishman was delighted with his return to form.
"It means a lot, it's been a tough year," Johnston said. "I was out there enjoying golf again, high-fiving the fans. It was a different kind of mindset. In the past I had put too much pressure on myself."
American Putnam (64), Swede Stenson (66) and Italian Pavan (66), who played the front nine in 30 before making no further inroads on the back nine, also ended the tournament on a high, while Bertasio (68) birdied the 14th and 16th to snatch his Open spot.
South African Erik van Rooyen, who was second overnight, dropped into a tie for 14th on 17 under after a one-over 72 which included a quadruple-bogey eight at the second where he took three attempts to hack out of thick rough.
Rory McIlroy finished in a tie for 34th place on 13 under after closing with a two-under 69.
