Stephen Gallacher came up just short in attempting to retain the Johnnie Walker Championship for Scotland as Tommy Fleetwood claimed his maiden European Tour victory in a play-off at Gleneagles.
The 39-year-old Dubai Desert Classic champion eagled the final hole to give himself a chance at his third tour title on a thrilling afternoon of nip-and-tuck golf on the PGA Centenary Course, where the easy set-up in the final event before next year’s Ryder Cup meant a barrage of birdies and eagles.
However, both Fleetwood and Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez were able to birdie the last to tie Gallacher, and the 22-year-old from Formby in Lancashire produced the only birdie of the sudden death play-off, again on the 18th, to clinch victory.
Fleetwood, who won the Scottish Open Amateur title and reached the final of the Amateur at Turnberry before he turned professional, calmly two-putted from just off the back of the 18th green to secure the title and the winner’s cheque for £233,330.
Fleetwood and Gonzalez both shot final rounds of two-under 70 for the 18-under aggregate of 270.
Gallacher returned a 67 after his brilliant 64 on Saturday despite his problems with a back strain throughout the week.
The young Englishman came out on tour aged just 20 and it’s taken longer than he thought it would to win.
“I’ve had a tough year, played quite well but haven’t even had a top five and then all of a sudden I’m a winner,” he said.
“I played the 18th in the playoff just perfectly, I was a bit worried about how quick the first putt was but the other two guys were unlucky with their putts and there I was with a four footer to win, just like you always imagine,” said Fleetwood.
“I don’t know where I found the courage to actually hit it, but it went in and to win feels just fantastic.”
Fleetwood thought he might have blown his chance with a bogey on the 15th just as the race was hotting up, but it had been “claustrophobic” about the top of the leaderboard all day, he believed.
Gallacher had come back from a triple-bogey seven on the 12th when his tee-shot found a sandy divot, he hit long bushes at the back of the green and took three more to get down.
His modest reaction to his eagle was in stark contrast to young countryman Scott Henry’s just before, but Gallacher knew there would be more to come.
“I had to hole that to have a chance, I knew the guys behind me could get to 18-under,” he said. “There was no point in celebrating because the guys could still go past me.
“I would have taken a play-off on Monday, that’s for sure. On Thursday I was just happy to be playing, and even today I couldn’t quite get my posture for the short irons. But the only bad shot of the day was because I was in that divot and couldn’t play the shot I wanted to.”
In the play-off, he leaked his second shot from perfect position to the right hand bunker, leaving himself a ten foot putt for birdie that wouldn’t drop.
Gonzalez had an eventful day, shanking his second shot into a forest of ferns on the first and taking double-bogey, slowly battling his way back to get a share of the lead at one point with five other players only to suffer a bout of cramp in mid-round and require the attentions of the physiotherapist while on course.
At various points in the afternoon another Argentinian, 20-year-old Emiliano Grilli, Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, Brett Rumford of Australia, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and England’s Paul Waring as well as Fleetwood, Gonzalez and
Gallacher had at least a share of the lead.
Gonzalez fought off his cramp to birdie both the par-five 16th and 18th in regulation to force his way into the play-off, hitting the hole with a bunker shot at the last which would have given him outright victory.
However, he three-putted from the back of the green in the play-off, missing for six feet to give Fleetwood his chance at the trophy.
For further coverage from Gleneagles see Monday’s Courier or try our digital edition.