England’s Paul Broadhurst ended a ten year wait to capture his fifth European title at the Estoril Open de Portugal Caixa de Depositos after an unbelievable climax to the final round at Oitavos Golfe, Quinta da Marinha, Portugal. The 39 year old won by one stroke from Paul Lawrie, after the Scotsman and his playing partner, England’s Barry Lane, saw their respective bids for the title collapse at Oitavos’s notoriously difficult closing holes.
What began as a four way tussle for the title at the start of round four between Broadhurst, Lane, Lawrie and Portugal’s own Jose-Filipe Lima – who took third place – looked like developing into two man battle for the top prize as Lane and Lawrie entered the crucial back nine at Oitavos. Both players had gone to the turn in three under par 33 with Lawrie leading by one as they entered the home stretch.
The Scot dropped back to join Lane on 13 under after a bogey at the par three 12th hole, with Lane piling the pressure on the 1999 Open Champion with an excellent eagle three at the next hole to move into a two shot lead. That two shot swing was reversed at the 14th, as Lawrie drained a 25 foot birdie putt on the par three, with Lane three putting from similar distance.
The next hole brought yet another change to the leaderboard as Lane made his birdie two to move one ahead with three to play, as the last group moved onto the par five 16th. When they reached the green, Lane could not get up and down for birdie and had to watch Lawrie two putt for birdie to draw level.
While Lane and Lawrie stood on the 17th tee knowing they had to overcome Oitavos’s most dangerous two holes to put their name the championship, Broadhurst was in the group ahead playing some beautiful golf – after looking to have fallen out of the race by dropping two shots in his opening six holes.
The former Ryder Cup player was not to be denied his chance at glory though, and he started a thrilling comeback with back to back birdies at the sixth and seventh, followed by another at the ninth to move under par for the day.
He did not stop there as he kept the momentum going with a great run of four birdies in eight holes on the back nine before dropping a shot on the 18th – a shot that Broadhurst thought had cost him the tournament.
It was only after he had signed his card that he realised Lawrie and Lane were in the throes of what can only be described as a golfing nightmare. Lawrie’s downfall came on the 17th where he ran up a triple bogey seven to drop back to 12 under, leaving himself requiring a birdie three at the treacherous 18th to force a play-off with Broadhurst, who had posted the clubhouse lead of 13 under.
At this stage, Lane, on 14 under, was leading by one, but it was a lead that would not last long after a poor tee shot into the bushes on the left. The 44 year old managed to get the ball out of that trouble, but it shot across the fairway into more bushes, and from there he suffered the cruellest of luck as his third shot hit a root of one the bushes and changed direction, flying out of bounds.
Forced to take drop, Lane’s new ball landed in an unplayable lie, which meant a further penalty stroke as he dropped again, and was now playing his sixth shot of the hole. He moved that to the front of the green, chipped on and two putted for a nine, and with it saw his challenge disappear.
Only Lawrie could trouble Broadhurst now, and he gave himself every opportunity with a brilliant approach to the 18th that came to rest just eight feet from the cup. Before Lawrie went for his birdie, Lima delighted the Portuguese public by chipping in for a three to secure outright third place on then under par, and a cheque for €78,250. The crowd soon quietened for Lawrie, whose birdie putt came up short and allowed Broadhurst to take the title and the first prize of €208,330.
It was quite an unbelievable finish, with Broadhurst both shocked and delighted in equal measure.
“I was marking my card when Barry was teeing off and there was one in a bush which I then hear was Barry’s ball and then the next thing we hear that Paul has made seven,” said Broadhurst, who moved to 14th on The European Tour Order of Merit. “But you still expect Barry to make five and then I was thinking play-off but we all saw what happened.
“Early on I was too far back but then I got a good run going from the seventh which just about kept me on the verges of the tournament. Obviously I was relying on Barry or Paul to mess up a hole somewhere along the line. But when I drove in a bush on the 18th I thought that I was going to have to settle for second or third but a good seven iron in gave me a good chance and I though I had hit a good putt but it just went past. At the time I thought that was it.
“This is probably one of the most surprising days of my career. I feel a lot of sympathy for Barry – you don’t wish that on anybody because I’ve done it enough myself.”
