Paul McBride is the latest Irish golfer to claim a podium finish on the MENA Tour after a final-round 67 saw the Island man claw his way into contention at the Hilton Classic in Morocco.
McBride started the final round three shots off the lead but carded three birdies in his opening nine holes to inch closer to the top. He rolled in another birdie putt on the par-5 10th, then added a birdie on the par-3 11th, he found himself in a share of the lead facing into the closing stretch.
Another birdie on the par-4 14th kept his victory hopes alive, but the leader playing behind had also found his groove and would play the final seven in four-under. A bogey on 17 effectively ended McBride’s chances, and a par at the last would see him finish at seven-under-par, three behind Pierre Pineau of France, but he still picked up $7,000 for his week’s work.
Mark Power, who stormed up the leaderboard to claim a share of second place at the same venue last week, put in another excellent final-round showing, matching McBride’s 67 to take a share of fourth place at five-under, while Alex Maguire, who is the top-ranked Irishman on the MENA Tour Rankings after three top-five finishes, a T7, a T10 and a T12 in his previous six MENA starts, added another top-10 finish with a share of ninth at -3.
Marc Boucher, who started well, closed out with rounds of 75 and 76 to finish tied for 40th.
Pineau, who ended a four-year wait for a second professional victory with a brilliant final-round 67 of his own, finished two shots clear of compatriot Andoni Etchenique.
“It feels really good,” Pineau said. “This is only my second win as a professional and the last one was four years ago, so it almost feels like a new experience again. After the bogey on 11 it actually freed me up a bit – instead of playing safe and counting shots, I just started trying to make birdies again.”
Pineau paid tribute to his girlfriend, who caddied for him during Tuesday’s torrential conditions and whose support he credited as integral to the victory.
“My girlfriend has been incredible. She’s been with me every step of the way and honestly if she hadn’t been there yesterday in the rain I probably wouldn’t have shot two under,” he said. “The last 12 months have been tough – I changed coaches, it was my first full year on the main tour and at one point I almost stopped playing. This win means a lot.”
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