Kipp Popert claimed a fourth G4D Tour title in dominant fashion, winning by five shots as Brendan Lawlor settled for a fourth place finish at the G4D @ Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters.
It wasn’t to be for the Carton House man who signed for rounds of 74 and 73 for a five-over tally. Despite not winning this season, Lawlor’s consistency will be rewarded with a place in the G4D Tour Series Finale @ DP World Tour Championship next month in Dubai.
Not my week at the @edamvalderrama but game is coming together slowly.
Congratulations to @kipp_popert on a great performance and thankyou to the @dpworldtour for another great event. We will keep grinding & thank you for all the support!
Next stop Dubai for the Grand Final. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6B9c5koC9M— Brendan Lawlor (@BrendanLawlor97) October 12, 2022
However, his place atop the rankings must now be under serious threat after World Number Two Popert got to five-under par after rounds of 68 and 69 – including the first hole in one in G4D Tour history on Monday – around the notoriously tricky Real Club Valderrama, in the penultimate event of the season.
American Chris Biggins finished on level par, fighting back from a four over par opening round, with local favourite Juan Postigo Arce one shot further back in third place.
The win is Popert’s fourth in the space of six months, adding to his successes at the G4D @ Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett, G4D @ Porsche European Open and G4D @ BMW PGA Championship.
He said: “I’ve been telling all the members at my home course all year that I was looking forward to this one the most because the Tour pros say it’s the toughest test they have. Coming in here I had no idea what to expect, I just told myself not to get angry at any point – if I was in trouble, just get it back in play.
“The course suits me as my wedge play is very strong. When I had a wedge in hand I had a lot of looks, so it was really nice to be under par.
“I love checking leaderboards, but I only checked it on the 15th, the par three, I had just missed a six footer. I wish I has known the leaderboard before then. My friend Chris (Biggins) had told me at the start of the week that this was his course, and he was five under then. I thought, OK we might need to make a few birdies coming in.
“I got to 17, absolutely smoked a drive, a nine iron pin high, and then rolled in a big left to right putt.”
Popert will be joined next month at the G4D Tour Series Finale @ DP World Tour Championship by fellow winners from this season Mike Browne and Tommaso Perrino, with the remainder of the ten-player field to be confirmed on October 23, based on the WR4GD (World Rankings) published on October 19.
The Englishman said: “The final event is going to be brilliant. I’ve only been to Dubai once, for the tournament last year. I’ll go out a few weeks before and practice. It’s an awesome place to play golf, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
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