Frenchman Victor Dubuisson won his second Turkish Airlines Open after finishing on 22 under par at the Maxx Royal Resort in Antalya.
The 25-year-old Ryder Cup player carded a closing 66 to finish one shot ahead of South Africa’s Jaco van Zyl, with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat a further shot back.
Dubuisson and Van Zyl, the joint overnight leaders, were tied when they teed off on the 18th, after the Frenchman had recovered from a double bogey on the fifth, chipped in for an eagle on the 11th, and birdied the 15th and 17th. After Van Zyl parred the 18th, it left Dubuisson two shots to win the tournament and he was down for a birdie to spark emotional celebrations.
It was the second Turkish Open victory in three years for Dubuisson, after winning the event in 2013, although those two successes have been his only European Tour titles in that time.
The Frenchman broke down in tears at the end, after a year that has seen him fall out of the world’s top 50. “It’s been so hard,” he said. “I’ve wanted to play this year, but there’s been many times when I haven’t been able to for personal reasons. That is why I am so emotional. This win has given me my confidence back, I lost it a few months ago and felt like my game would never come back, but this week I realised my game is still here.”
Rory McIlroy began the final day one shot off the lead, after three consecutive 67s, but the world number three could only manage a final round 71, which included three bogeys in the last 10 holes, and finished tied sixth.