KLM Open: Sergio Garcia claims victory after finishing one shot ahead of Nicolai Hojgaard
Sunday 15 September 2019 20:02, UK
Sergio Garcia has won the KLM Open by one shot from Nicolai Hojgaard after finishing 18 under in Amsterdam to claim his 16th European Tour title.
Garcia went into the final day as joint-leader with Callum Shinkwin and seemed on course for a routine victory as he led by two shots at the fifth.
His playing partner Shinkwin then edged ahead by one shot at the seventh following successive bogeys on a mixed front nine at The International from the Spaniard.
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But a double bogey at the 10th by Englishman Shinkwin offered Garcia some hope and the 2017 Masters champion looked to have sealed victory with a stunning approach from the rough at the 16th, despite having his feet in the bunker for the awkward second shot to dial in to five feet.
The birdie ensured a three-shot lead over Denmark's Hojgaard but a poor tee-shot at the 17th saw Garcia record his only bogey on the back nine all week to drop to 18-under-par just as Hojgaard got on the par-five last in two shots.
The 18-year-old then slid his eagle putt by the hole to finish at 17 under before Garcia picked up the par he needed to join compatriots Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal as a KLM Open champion to win the 100th edition of the tournament.
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Matt Wallace finished third on 15 under, while fellow Englishman James Morrison was one shot further back.
"It was honestly amazing to have my brother, Angie my wife and little Azalea (Garcia's daughter) here, it's very special," Garcia told europeantour.com.
"Amazing. We had a great week and it's great to win again. I played well all week under pressure. It wasn't easy, there were a couple of tough moments today but I hung on tough, that's the most important thing."
