A magnificent round of 60 from Rafael Cabrera Bello denied long-time leader Benn Barham victory in the Austrian Open on Sunday.
Spaniard clinches first victory with stunning final round
A magnificent round of 60 from Rafael Cabrera Bello denied long-time leader Benn Barham victory in the Austrian Open on Sunday.
The Spaniard's 11 under par effort stunned Englishman Barham, who under normal circumstances would have lifted his first European Tour title after holding off playing partner Soren Hansen by two shots.
But it was Cabrera Bello's day as he rolled in birdie after birdie and it was he who would clinch his maiden tour win at Fontana Golf Club near Vienna.
"It's just amazing - I played the best golf of my life and I can't believe it," he said. "I was so far back I wasn't thinking about winning. I just tried to play a shot at a time and today it worked out really, really good."
Sensational burst
He started the day eight shots behind runaway leader Barham, who had the comfort of a three-shot cushion on the field, but the Englishman couldn't get it going on the front nine and went to the turn in one over par.
By that time Cabrera Bello had already made up the deficit with a sensational burst that saw him hole a hat-trick of birdies from the third and then four in succession from the eighth.
His iron play was simply awesome and two more pin-point approaches to the 13th and 14th meant he was able to take the outright lead for the first time.
With no other player able to mount a challenge it had become a three horse race and that soon became two as Hansen, who holed two vital putts for par on the back nine to remain in contention, bogeyed the 17th to fall four behind.
Cabrera Bello rolled in a short putt for birdie on the 16th and a fine approach to the last gave him the chance to become the first player on the European Tour to shoot a 59.
His lengthy putt came up short, but another birdie at the par five took his score to -20 and momentarily two clear, although when Barham made his third birdie coming home at the 16th the lead was back to one.
Barham needed a birdie at the final hole to force a play-off but a pulled drive into heavy rough meant he could only hack out down the fairway, and his mid-iron approach left him further away than he would have liked.
And with Cabrera Bello looking on anxiously from the driving range, Barham's 18-footer stayed out and the Kent golfer had to settle for second place after leading from the first day when he shot 63.
But it was Cabrera Bello who took the plaudits as the 14th player to shoot 60 in Europe, deservedly pocketing the £145,507 winner's cheque.
