Australia’s Brett Rumford admitted it was “quite surreal” to have won his second tournament in eight days on the European Tour with a commanding victory in the Volvo China Open.
Rumford carded a final round of 68 at Binhai Lake Golf Club to finish 16 under par, four shots clear of Finland’s Mikko Ilonen (71), with France’s Victor Dubuisson (68) third on 11 under.
The 35-year-old from Perth had not won since 2007 before securing victory in the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea last Sunday with an eagle three on the first hole of a three-man play-off.
But the winner’s cheque of £345,000 takes his earnings to more than £650,000 for two weeks’ work and to the top of the Race to Dubai, while he has risen from 253rd in the world rankings a fortnight ago to a career-high place inside the top 80.
“As with last week I am kind of speechless at the moment, it’s quite surreal,” Rumford said. “It’s really hard to try and go back to back, it’s the first time I’ve actually played the week after a win so I am more than pleased. It’s quite a feat, it’s very special.”
The last back-to-back winner on the European Tour was Branden Grace, who won the Joburg Open and Volvo Golf Champions in his native South Africa in January 2012 and was also the defending champion here.
Rumford began the day one shot ahead of playing partner Ilonen and extended that advantage to three with a flawless front nine of 33.
The lead was down to one when Ilonen birdied the 10th and 11th, but Rumford edged further in front with a birdie on the par-five 12th and holed from 45ft for birdie on the 13th and 14th for good measure.
“It was always going to be close but it’s amazing this game, it turns so quickly. Last week on 17 it turned for the worse and now here I am just trying to defend, to limp my way home and finish it off,” said Rumford.
Rumford was two clear with two play at Blackstone Golf Club last weekend but ran up a double-bogey six on the 17th and had to hole from eight feet for par on the last to make the play-off with Peter Whiteford and Marcus Fraser.
His task in China was made easier with a six-shot lead after Ilonen bogeyed the 13th and 14th, allowing him the luxury of dropping shots at the 15th and 17th and still easing to a fifth European Tour victory.
Paul Lawrie finished the leading Scot with his final round 72 leaving him five under two shots ahead of Stephen Gallacher, whose closing round 73 left him on 285, while Richie Ramsay was one further behind after a 74.
Fifer Peter Whiteford failed to repeat his Korean heroics and finished five over after a 78 yesterday, but Scott Jamieson carded a disastrous 83 to end up on 16 over par.