Fernandez-Castaño Wins BMW Masters

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Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño produced a stunning final round to win the first Final Series event on The Race to Dubai at the BMW Masters presented by SRE Group.

The Spaniard survived a late wobble at the last – he found two bunkers en route to a double bogey six, but 17 holes of flawless ball striking had given him sufficient room to claim a seventh European Tour title with a closing 68 and 11 under par total at Lake Malaren.

That was one shot ahead of Seve Trophy team-mate Francesco Molinari and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, the Italian coming from six shots off the pace at the start of the day.

The Ryder Cup star’s chances looked to have disappeared with a bogey at the 12th despite a front nine of 34, but Molinari then went on a brilliant scoring run, making an eagle on the par five 13th and following that with four birdies in succession to join Fernandez-Castaño on 10 under before eventually completing a superb 64.

Fernandez-Castaño edged back into the lead with a birdie on the 13th and looked to have sealed a comfortable win with further birdies at the 15th and 17th, where he chipped in from just over the green.

He made hard work of the last, though, finding sand off the tee and another bunker with his third shot before holding his nerve to complete his first victory since last year's Open d’Italia.

"I knew it wasn't going to be an easy round, especially the way I started. I started hitting the ball pretty bad," Fernandez-Castaño said. "But my caddie kept me cool and told me how good I had been hitting the ball through the week and I played fantastic after that.

"On the last I played too conservative and it was a fighting six at the end for sure.

“BMW is one of the great supporters of The European Tour through the years, they know how to run events and they make the players feel so comfortable. 

“It's pretty much like playing at home and it's also great to see the crowds this week. I think they have been pretty amazing.”

Guthrie finished two shots behind on nine under after a closing 71, with Thomas Björn, Peter Uihlein and Pablo Larrazábal a shot further back.

Defending champion Peter Hanson finished seven under after a superb closing 63, the Swede having started the tournament - which does not have a halfway cut - with a round of 79.

"I was playing with Paul McGinley, the Ryder Cup Captain, and I guess I wanted to impress him," Hanson joked after a round containing 11 birdies and two bogeys.

"I had no expectations on coming back from injury and I was obviously very rusty on Thursday. But I have felt better and better throughout the week and to finish with a round like that is very pleasing. As a defence, it wasn't bad!"

The win moves Fernandez-Castaño into the top five on The Race to Dubai and greatly improves his chance of a Ryder Cup debut at Gleneagles next year.

“It's perfect timing because it's Ryder Cup qualification period right now,” he added. “It doesn't get any better than this; first event of the first ever Final Series and I got the victory.”

The Final Series remains in China for next week’s WGC-HSBC Champions, before heading to Turkey and then Dubai, where the top 60 will compete for the DP World Tour Championship.

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Olazabal Names Seve Team

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A Continental Europe team featuring five Ryder Cup players will take on defending champions Great Britain & Ireland at next week’s Seve Trophy following confirmation of the two ten-man teams for the eighth edition of the biennial contest.

Led by Captain José María Olazábal, who steered Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2012, the Continental Europe Team includes three of the Spaniard’s stars from the ‘Miracle at Medinah’, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, Swede Peter Hanson and Italian Francesco Molinari, as well as two of his vice captains, Denmark’s Thomas Björn, the winner of the Omega European Masters, and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez.

They will be joined at St-Nom-La Bretèche Golf Club, in France, by Finland’s Mikko Ilonen and Italian Matteo Manassero, who played in the contest in 2007 and 2011 respectively, and three debutants, Frenchman Grégory Bourdy, Dutchman Joost Luitenand Dane Thorbjørn Olesen.

Olazábal, who will undertake his second stint as captain in the contest, having been at the helm at The Wynyard Club in 2005, said: “I think we have a very strong team this year with a good mix of players with Ryder Cup experience and some exciting, talented younger players such as Matteo, Joost and Thorbjørn.

“It is a tournament and a competition that was very close to Seve’s heart, and we will have to show some of his fighting spirit to win this year and improve on our recent record.

“It’s not going to be easy as the Britain & Ireland team is also strong and they have dominated in recent years, but I’m looking forward to working with my players and hopefully we can do it.”

Sam Torrance, the victorious 2002 European Ryder Cup captain, will lead the Britain & Ireland team, which includes Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, another member of last year’s historic Ryder Cup team, and Englishman Paul Casey, a three-time Ryder Cup player.

Englishman Chris Wood, who was undefeated on his last appearance in 2009, returns to the fold, along with Scotland’s Marc Warren, who last featured in 2007, and WelshmanJamie Donaldson and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, who were both part of the victorious team two years ago.

There are also four debutants, with the English trio of Tommy Fleetwood, David Lynn, and Simon Khan joined by Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher.

Torrance, who will captain a team in the Seve Trophy for the first time, said: “I think we have got a good blend of players in the team, and I’m really looking forward to working with all of them.

“We have a couple of Ryder Cup players in Paul Casey and Paul Lawrie, the latter being an Open Champion, and the debutants are very strong. Simon Khan is a former BMWPGA Champion and was runner up again this year at Wentworth, and Stephen Gallacher and Tommy Fleetwood have both won this season, while David Lynn has had a fantastic year in America.

“So we have a lot of experience in the team, as does the Continental Europe Team, and it promises to be an exciting contest next week. I’ve a few ideas about pairings already, and hopefully we can retain the trophy and make it seven in a row.”

Qualification for both teams began at the Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa in December 2012, and concluded after last week’s Italian Open. The two teams were chosen from the leading five available players from the Official World Gold Ranking on Monday, and the leading five available players from The Race to Dubai.

The event format will be similar to previous editions, the only slight alteration coming on Saturday which will now consist of two sessions of four foursomes contested instead of four morning greensomes, followed by four afternoon foursomes.

The rest of the format remains the same, with a series of five fourball matches on each of the first two days and ten singles on the final day. As with The Ryder Cup, a team requires 14½ points for victory.

Continental Europe won the first edition of the contest 13 years ago, while Britain and Ireland have won the last six matches in succession, claiming a 15½-12½ success two years ago at St-Nom-La Bretèche Golf Club, which hosts the event for the third consecutive time.

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EurAsia Cup Tees Off in 2014

Europe's top golfers will take on Asia in a new matchplay tournament, the EurAsia Cup, from next year.

The inaugural EurAsia Cup will be held at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Malaysia on 28-30 March 2014, with a format similar to the Ryder Cup.

Europe's 10-man team will consist of the Race to Dubai 2013 top four, the top four available from the world rankings and two captain's picks.

The captain will be selected by the European Tour at a later date.

The Asian team will include the top four players from the final 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit, the leading three players invited on the basis of their world ranking, and three captain's picks.

Hideki Matsuyama, 21, is expected to be the star of the Asian team with three top 20 finishes in majors this year.

It will become the third matchplay event involving Europe after the Ryder Cup and the biennial Seve Trophy, which began in 2000 and is contested between teams from Great Britain and Ireland, and Continental Europe.

The EurAsia Cup, which will be an early part of the European Tour 2014 schedule, is one of two new events announced.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge, which takes place in South Africa from 5-8 December 2013, will now feature a 30-player field instead of the usual 12.

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From Russia with Love for Hoey

Michael Hoey romped to a four shot victory as he sealed a fifth European Tour title at the M2M Russian Open.

The Northern Irishman started the day with a four shot lead after a brilliant third round 65 at Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club.

A closing two under par 70 was enough to give Hoey a 16 under par total and four shot winning margin over France’s Alexandre Kaleka and England’s Matthew Nixon.

“I have absolutely loved the golf course this week,” said Hoey. “It is a great Nicklaus design and one of the best we will play on Tour for the whole year. The greens are just so pure and when you have surfaces like that to putt on then you can make a lot of putts.

“The putting was the key for me this week. I have been working hard on that a lot recently and the improvement is really showing because I making a lot of birdies. 

“That is the main difference at this level - you have to be able to make a lot of putts because the standard is so high these days that it usually comes down to who makes the most putts.

“It’s pretty amazing to think that I have won five European Tour titles. It is a great feeling to win and every time you do it you just want more and more. Hopefully I can get at least another one before the end of the season.

“It has given me a great boost. I am not the most consistent player in the world but when I get into these positions I usually do ok. But the next aim for me has to be to become a bit more consistent because that is the only way I will be able to get back among the best players in the world and stay there.”

The 34 year old - who had not finished better than 25th on The European Tour this season and missed seven of his last ten cuts coming into the event – began his final round with six consecutive pars but birdies at the seventh and eighth saw him advance to 16 under par and turn five clear.

His only dropped shot of the day came at the 12th, and last year’s winner Kaleka and Dane JB Hansen closed the gap to two before Hoey birdied the 17th, with both his nearest challengers dropping shots on the last.

“It was tough for me today because when you have a five shot lead your natural instinct is to defend the lead,” added Hoey. “I was trying to be more aggressive because that is usually the best form of defence but it is tough in the final round when you know you are so far ahead.

“Then there are always a couple of guys who are going to come out of the pack. It was Rikard [Karlberg], who I was playing with, on the front nine and then Alex really got close to me on the back nine.

“I did feel the pressure a bit today because I wasn’t swinging it as freely as I had done yesterday but I got the job done in the end. Making my first birdie of the day on the seventh was a bit of a turning point because I had burned a few edges before that and you start to wonder if it is going to be your day.”

Kaleka, who captured this title last year when it formed part of the Challenge Tour schedule, had five birdies before bogeying the 18th for a 68, while Nixon came home in 33 for a 69.

Hansen finished alone in fourth after dropping two shots on the 18th for a 68, with China’s Liang Wen-chong, France’s Gregory Havret and English pair James Morrison and Mark Foster a shot further back on ten under.

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Jimenez is Oldest Euro Swinger

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Miguel Angel Jimenez became the oldest winner on the European Tour by clinching victory in the Hong Kong Open at the age of 48 years and 318 days.

The Spaniard hit a final round 65 to beat Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed, who had hit a 64, by one shot.

He is 284 days older than Ireland's Des Smyth was when he lifted the 2001 Madeira Islands Open.

"It's always an honour to make records and I hope it's not the last one," said Jimenez.

He now has three Hong Kong title wins in his 19 European Tour triumphs and added: "The way I am playing and handle myself I can be fit to win another one."

Jimenez has 19 European Tour wins. There are only 10 players who have ever won more on the circuit than the former caddie, who turned professional in 1982 and had to wait a decade for his first success.

The Malaga-based golfer carded only two bogeys in four rounds of 65, 67, 68 and 65 on the way to victory. He said: "Distance does not matter here. I controlled the ball well and gave myself many chances for birdie which you have to do here."

Michael Campbell was in the overnight lead with Jimenez but the New Zealander finished eighth after a two-over 72.

The 43-year-old was trying to win his first tournament since the World Match Play Championship seven years ago.

World number one Rory McIlroy had missed the cut on Friday at five over.

Australian Marcus Fraser's final round 64 lifted him up to third place, while Matteo Manassero, the 19-year-old who won the Singapore Open last week, was fourth along with Scotland's Stephen Gallacher and Ireland's Peter Lawrie.

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Dyson Leads in Sentosa Club House

The Singapore Open could be cut to 54 holes for the second year running after thunderstorms forced play to be halted early for the second day.

Half of the field did not start round two on Friday and some greens were under water with more rain forecast.

England's Simon Dyson birdied four of the 13 holes he played to lead on six under with Thailand's Chapchai Nirat.

World number one Rory McIlroy, who needs a top-three finish to win the Race to Dubai, is one under after 12.

Lighting and heavy rain caused two suspensions before play was finally called off. Last year's event, won by Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in a play-off, was cut to 54 holes and only finished on the Monday morning.

"At present, our aim is still to complete 72 holes, weather permitting," said tournament director Jose Maria Zamora.

"However, if we do suffer more delays we would then decide, in consultation with the sponsor and promoter, whether to reduce the tournament to 54 holes or complete the fourth round on Monday."

McIlroy, who finished his first round in one-under-par 70 on Friday morning, birdied his last hole of the day to improve to joint 29th.

The Northern Irishman had looked in danger of missing the cut after bogeying his third hole of the second round, the 12th, and following that with a double-bogey six on the par-four 13th to slip to two over.

However, the 23-year-old picked up birdies on the 18th, first and third holes to move back into contention with six holes left of his second round.

Dyson's share of the lead will be short-lived when play resumes at 23:30 GMT on Friday (07:30 local time on Saturday) because the siren to halt proceedings was sounded before he had chance to knock in a bogey putt on the fifth (his 14th).

Nirat, who is ranked 631st in the world, completed a bogey-free 65 on Friday morning to take the first-round lead and mixed a couple of birdies with a couple of bogeys to remain six under after nine holes of round two.

Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who led on five under at the end of day one, is among the 78 players who were unable to tee off in the second round.

Europe's Ryder Cup vice-captain was joined on that mark by Italian duo Francesco Molinari and Matteo Manassero.

Molinari is yet to drop a shot in his second round, having birdied three of his 12 holes while Manassero recovered from an opening-hole double bogey to record six birdies in 11 holes.

England's Chris Wood improved his score to four under with three birdies in the eight holes he was able to complete.

He joined compatriot Simon Khan, who also did not tee off, in joint sixth, while Paul Casey (three under) was another who stayed in the clubhouse.

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Volvo Match Play Moves to Bulgaria

Next season's Volvo Match Play will take the European Tour to Bulgaria.

After being held at Wentworth from 1964 to 2007, the tournament switched to Finca Cortesin in southern Spain three years ago and, with an expanded field of 24 players, has been won by Ian Poulter and Nicolas Colsaerts the past two years.

The Gary Player-designed Thracian Cliffs beside the Black Sea will become the new venue on May 16-19.

Per Ericsson, president of Volvo Event Management, said: "Volvo was the first company to bring a European Tour event to China and we are the first to take a full European Tour event to Bulgaria as Eastern Europe is an important business area for us.

"We are delighted to be working with the Bulgarian Government and the Bulgarian Golf Association and are thrilled that they have committed their support to this prestigious and historic championship.

"We will announce future venues in due course and while our focus is firmly on delivering a magnificent 2013 championship as our inaugural event at Thracian Cliffs, we then plan to rotate the Volvo World Match Play Championship between a few very special venues around the world."

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov commented: "This is a real coup for Bulgaria being chosen to host such a prestigious international tournament with a rich heritage and sporting traditions.

"The vast media coverage will deliver a reputable boost for Bulgaria and our tourism industry. The recent growth of golf in our country will have the opportunity to be showcased around the world."

Colsaerts, whose victory in May helped to secure him a Ryder Cup debut, said: "This just demonstrates the global appeal of golf.

"I've never been to Bulgaria, but I've heard great things about the country and Thracian Cliffs and I can't wait to defend my title there in May next year. Having won both the 2011 Volvo China Open and the 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship I think Volvo might be my lucky charm, so I hope that continues to be the case in 2013."

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