Jun11 Euro Tour austria winner

By TG Staff Writer

Richard Green ended a 10-year drought by winning BA-CA Open in Austria at the weekend.

The 36-year-old Aussie beat Frenchman Jean-Francois Remesy in a playoff – ten years since he beat Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam in a play-off for the Dubai Desert Classic.

Green should have sealed the deal in regulation play, needing to two-putt the 18th to win.

But he ran his first putt four feet past and missed the one back, forcing him into a head-to-head with Remesy, who posted a closing round of 64.

But in the first playoff hole, the Frenchman’s approach shot found the rocks by the lake, and he made a double bogey. Green parred, and claimed the first prize of £147,036.

Afterwards he said: “I feel very drained and relieved. I was very nervous on the 18th green and I had to compose myself after getting into the play-off. I suppose it was a bit of an adrenaline putt at the 18th green when I raced it four feet past.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting to hit it that hard and the second one lipped out. I then had to get the ball into the hole to be sure of being in the play-off.

“I am relieved now. I feel I am in the prime of my career and I always felt I would win again and get the monkey off my back. I suppose it was a more workmanlike victory. At the moment I feel all the emotions and just relieved that that my golf game held up.

“My brain was pretty scrambled as I signed my card but I still felt I could win. My caddie, Stuart, told me to remember my play-off record. I won in Dubai ten years ago and I also won the Australian Masters after a play-off. Simon Dyson beat me in the KLM Open but three wins out of four isn’t bad. I had to get my focus back for the play off and Stuart’s words definitely helped.”

“My goal has been to get back into the top 50 in the world. It’s a pity that the US Open has come too soon but I am looking forward to some big events ahead. When I double-bogeyed the third early on and Miguel holed out for an eagle two from the fairway there was a four shot swing that rattled me but hopefully now I have banished the self-belief that I was lacking.”

 

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