Chris Wood birdied the 72nd hole to seal his maiden HotelPlanner Tour victory at the Italian Challenge Open at Golf Nazionale, while Ronan Mullarney finished best of the Irish in a tie for 26th.
Rounds of 69 on each of the first three days left the Galway man sharing 23rd going into the final round, and he looked on course to make it four-in-a-row when he reached the 18th tee having made three birdies and no bogeys, but a disappointing bogey-six saw him card a closing round of 70.
It was a good week overall for the Alps Tour graduate, who secured his highest finish on the HotelPlanner Tour having struggled in his rookie campaign in 2024.
James Sugrue was the only other Irishman to make the cut and he also closed out with a 70 to finish tied for 52nd at -8.
Englishman Wood signed for a bogey-free final round of 66 to win in his first start of the year on the 2026 Road to Mallorca, finishing on 22 under par for the week.
Wood was pushed all the way by Portugal’s Tomás Gouveia but was eventually able to get his season off to the perfect start, having graduated from the MENA Tour earlier this year.
“It feels brilliant,” Wood said. “What a tough day. Tomas’ back nine, he lit it up all of a sudden out of nowhere. Me and Barclay [Brown] have had 36 holes of really strong golf together, we’ve pushed each other along.
“You’re never given tournaments, you have to go out and earn them and I feel like I did that.
“I was giving myself chances on every hole and I had two or three putts that I thought were in around the turn which was frustrating. The putts weren’t dropping for me until on 15 from around 15 feet which was deserved, and then I managed to sneak one up the last.”
Having started the day in a share of the lead, Wood cruised into a two-stroke advantage through nine holes, carding four birdies to go out in 32 strokes.
But playing partner Gouveia caught fire around the turn, making four birdies in a row from the eighth, before finding four more in his final five holes.
However, Wood played a delicate chip on the 72nd hole to set up the birdie that sealed a one-stroke triumph, and the 38-year-old was visibly emotional after the round.
“I thought Tomas was going to hole his putt, that was the way he was playing, so I was prepared to go back down the 18th. Fortunately for me he didn’t,” he added.
“All the practice I’ve done helped me stay in the moment. The mental side has been a challenge. [Chris] Lloyd [
“This win is a massive step in the right direction, obviously there’s a long season ahead, but this is just my first event of a long season on this tour, and it’s an amazing way to start.”
Gouveia eventually signed for a final round 66 to finish in solo second while the third member of the final group Barclay Brown finished in solo third on 20 under, earning him a spot in next week’s field in Spain.
Englishman Will Enefer, Scotsmen Will Porter and Calum Fyfe, and Pedro Figueiredo from Portugal finished on 18 under in a tie for fourth.
The win moves Wood up 154 places to fifth in the 2026 Road to Mallorca, with Gouveia moving 151 places up to eighth.
The HotelPlanner Tour now heads to Spain for the Challenge de Catalunya at Fontanals Golf Club in Girona, from May 14-17.
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