Tyler Hogarty shot a closing two-under-par round of 70 to finish tied for seventh as Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo took the honours in the PGA Aroeira Challenge – the season-opening event of the revived MENA Tour.
Playing on a tournament invitation, Hogarty carded rounds of 67 and 69 to go into the third and final round just three shots back, but despite birdieing three of the first nine holes, he’d fallen four back with nine to play.
A Jekyll and Hyde final six holes, where the St Mellion man made three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey, left him on 10-under for the week, but his finish should be enough to earn him his place in the remaining 11 MENA Tour events.
Dungannon’s Jack Madden, who finished in sixth place in last week’s MENA Tour Q-School, closed out with a five-under 67 to move to -5 overall and climb into a share of 28th. A second-round 73 left him playing for minor placings, but he made the most of his chances in the final round.
But at the top of the leaderboard, nobody could touch Addabbo, who cruised to a three-stroke win over local man Pedro Figueiredo courtesy of a bogey-free 67.
The win also marks the Italian’s first-ever professional victory, an achievement that will undoubtedly make his $18,000 winner’s share of the $100,000 prize fund particularly sweet. He did it in wire-to-wire fashion, sharing a co-lead spot on day one with Scotland’s Sebastian Sandin before nosing ahead as outright leader at the end of play yesterday afternoon.
If he had any nerves teeing off for today’s finale with a one-shot lead on Figueiredo, Addabbo certainly didn’t show them. Starting with birdies on holes two and three, the Italian never looked back. He shot five more across the day, including a sensational chip in on 17, all but securing his victory.
“I’m so happy. I was expecting to be very nervous at the end, but I was less than I thought. It’s an amazing feeling to end the round like this, hauling that chip in on the 17th and a nice, easy par on the last,” said Addabbo after being mobbed by his friends on the 18th green.
“After 17, that was the first time I checked the leaderboard. I knew that it wasn’t going to change anything. It’s just going to put pressure on myself. I breathed a lot during the round, always tried to be in the present, and it worked,” the relieved champion added.
Sebastian Sandin, joint leader on day one and in the mix all week, saw his charge fall away with an unfortunate trio of bogeys in the final four holes.
“I wasn’t really hitting it the best on the front nine but was getting the most out of my game. I started to strike it better on the back nine but knew I needed to be around eight under for the round to stand a chance. But I pushed a little too hard in the closing holes and went for a birdie putt on 15 but missed the one coming back, but I knew I needed to press at that stage,” said a somewhat disappointed Sandin after his round.
But after his second-place finish at Q School last week, the Scotsman will look back on another promising few days where he looked among the strongest in the field.
It would be Figueiredo who capped off an impressive weekend and pipped Sandin to the runner up spot with a monster eagle putt from the rough on 17, much to the joy of the Aroeira local’s gathered support.
Speaking about the MENA Golf Tour, tournament champion Addabbo, who is playing the circuit for the first time, stated: “I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Tour, it’s a great opportunity to go out there and play and not have too long an off-season. I managed to get out of Q school fairly easily and then to win the first tournament, is such a great moment.”
Keith Waters, Chairman and Commissioner, MENA Golf Tour, said: “Ludovico produced an outstanding round and handled the pressure on the closing holes like a true champion. To card the equal lowest score of the day under pressure was something special. Seeing his fellow Italian players celebrate with him on the final green really captured the spirit and emotion of what the MENA Golf Tour is all about.
“I’d also like to credit the team at PGA Aroeira for the excellent job they did in preparing the course after the heavy rain in the lead-up to the event. We’ve been fortunate with the weather.”
The PGA Aroeira Challenge was the first of 12 events offering $100,000 prize funds and Official World Golf Ranking points. It’s also the opening act of consecutive Portuguese tournaments, with the Rolear Algarve Classic at Amendoeira (2-4 December) following immediately. The Tour then relocates to Egypt for four events in January and February before moving to Morocco, where a mid-season Q-Sprint on 22-23 February will give additional players the opportunity to join the Tour or improve their category status.
With guaranteed prize funds, rapid 48-hour payouts, and OWGR points available throughout the season, the MENA Golf Tour offers a credible pathway for professionals at all stages of their careers.
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