Ronan Mullarney finished strong to take a share of 21st place as Lars van der Vight sealed his maiden HotelPlanner Tour title with a one-stroke victory in the German Challenge at Wittelsbacher Golf Club.
The Galway man produced a bogey-free 68, birdieing the eighth, 11th, 12th and 15th holes to end the week on 10-under and climb up nine places and finish five places higher than the T26 he posted at the Italian Challenge Open in early May.
Mark Power shot a closing 69 to finish tied for 41st at -7, and both men are entered in the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge in a fortnight’s time, though Power is second alternate at present and will be hoping for withdrawals to ensure he has a chance to keep climbing the Road to Mallorca rankings.
But the week was all about van der Vight. The Dutchman, who became the fourth player to shoot 59 in HotelPlanner Tour history on Friday, signed for a two under par 70 on the final day to reach 17 under, one shot clear of Frenchman Julien Sale, who had earlier set the clubhouse target of 16 under following two birdies and an eagle in his final five holes.
The 23-year-old was delighted with how he closed out the tournament having held the lead from the halfway stage.
“I feel amazing,” he said. “This hasn’t sunk in yet. Winning is so hard and I felt like my game has been heading in the right direction the past three months.
“Having never shot a 59 before, the way I’ve handled myself, along with the help of my caddie has been great. I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Starting the final day with a three-stroke advantage, Van der Vight was quick out of the gates with a birdie at the first. The Dutchman would drop his first shot on the second but bounced back well with three gains in four holes from the fourth to move to three under for his round.
However, he would run into trouble on the par four ninth after hitting his approach out of bounds resulting in a double bogey, with his advantage cut to two with nine to play.
Another bogey on the 11th gave the chasing pack yet more cause for optimism before birdies on 12 and 15 steadied the ship. Pars on the next two holes meant a routine par on the last was enough for Van der Vight to clinch his breakthrough win in his rookie HotelPlanner Tour season.
“The first time I looked at a leaderboard was on 12 behind the green,” Van der Vight added.
“I saw I was in a good spot so just wanted to keep going and see where that got me in the end. The support I’ve received from those closest to me has been amazing and this win is just as much there’s as it is mine.”
Van der Vight jumps 53 places to 13th on the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings and on course to secure back-to-back promotions following his graduation from the Pro Golf Tour last campaign.
And with a week off before the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge at the end of July, Van der Vight is eager to recharge ahead of another busy part of the schedule.
“I’ve got a long drive home and I can’t wait to see my friends and family,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to relaxing before going again the week after next in Czechia.”
Sale, who was chasing back-to-back victories following his triumph at last week’s Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, finished in solo second on 16 under par, one shot ahead of Wouter de Vries from the Netherlands and Australian Quinnton Croker.
The top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings remains the same with South African MJ Daffue holding top spot, with Spaniard Pablo Ereno and Denmark’s Hamish Brown in second and third respectively. Sale rises eight places to fourth with his compatriot Maxence Giboudot rounding out the top five.
The Road to Mallorca now takes a week break before the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge takes place at Kaskáda Golf Resort from July 23-26.
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