Kyle Dobbs of the USA completed a thrilling victory at the Costa Rica Open to defeat Sebastian Fernandez in a sudden-death play-off at the Cariari Country Club, San Jose, Costa Rica.
Dobbs, who began the final round one stroke behind third round leaders Fernandez and Michael Hoey of Northern Ireland, dropped a shot on the second to slip further behind Fernandez and Hoey but rallied superbly to take control of the tournament with five birdies in his next seven holes to get to the turn in 31 and take a three shot lead from Fernandez with nine holes to play.
But the Argentine, who took the 2003 Costa Rica Open title after a play-off with his compatriot, Cesar Monasterio, refused to give up the fight, even as he stepped onto the 16th tee trailing Dobbs by three shots with just three holes to play.
Fernandez got the slice of luck that his determination deserved as Dobbs found trouble in the trees and dropped a shot on the 421 yard par four 16th, while Fernandez made a crucial birdie to cut the lead to just one shot with two holes to play.
Both players made par on the 17th, meaning Fernandez had to seek out a birdie at the 18th in the hope of forcing the Costa Rica Open into a play-off for the fourth consecutive season. The 31 year old Argentine did not disappoint as he shaped a beautiful approach to just six feet and rolled home the birdie putt to ensure the tournament would be settled by extra holes as both players had completed the regulation 72 holes in four under par 280.
Both Dobbs and Fernandez made their way back to the 18th tee to get the play-off underway, and both players produced excellent drives to leave themselves just 120 yards to the flag. This time it was Dobbs who executed the exceptional approach shot, his ball coming to rest six feet from the pin and piling the pressure on Fernandez to produce a birdie making opportunity.
With the pressure on and his adrenaline flowing, Fernandez over-hit his pitching wedge and had to settle for a two putt par as Dobbs sank his birdie putt to capture the Costa Rica Open title – the first European Challenge Tour victory of his career.
“It feels awesome to have won here,” said the 29 year old from Michigan who collected a winners cheque for €15,721. “I was very fortunate that I putted well today. I struggled all week, but today the putts started dropping. I feel lucky to be here.”
Fernandez, meanwhile, was philosophical in defeat. He said: “At one point I thought the tournament was gone, because Kyle was playing very well. But I also knew there were four or five holes left and you never know what can happen until the end.”
Two of Fernandez’s fellow countrymen – Miguel Carballo and Rodolfo Gonzalez – finished in a tie for third place on one under par 283, while Hoey and Welshman Mark Pilkington flew the flag for Europe as they shared fifth place.
That was good enough to ensure that Hoey leapfrogged England’s Richard McEvoy into second place on the Challenge Tour Rankings, while Fernandez moves to fourth place. Argentina’s Rafael Gomez remains Number One on the Rankings as both the Challenge Tour and Tour de las Americas Members move to Panama for this week’s Panama Masters.
