Essex’s Richard McEvoy birdied the last hole at Green Eagle Golf Course in Germany to win the Porsche European Open and bag his first European Tour title at the 285th attempt.
The 39-year-old from Southend entered the tournament off the back of victory at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, and carried his winning forward in fine style, with his 11-under-par total seeing him hold off the challenges of local amateur Allen John, Swede Christofer Blomstrand and Italian Renato Paratore by a single shot.
Out in the last group on Sunday, McEvoy was battling for the lead for much of the afternoon, as he went toe-to-toe with playing partner and joint overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau.
McEvoy started with five pars, and while he dropped a shot after finding water on the sixth, a stunning approach to the seventh kept him two ahead. He then found sand on the eighth to drop into a share of the lead with DeChambeau at the turn after a two-shot swing as the chasing field began to close in.
Back-to-back bogeys from McEvoy on the 12th and 13th handed the American in the lead, but DeChambeau dropped five shots in his last four holes to drop out of contention, while the Essex man birdied the 15thto edge him back in front.
Meanwhile, John was already in the clubhouse at ten under as the deaf amateur – who rejoined the unpaid ranks in 2016 after turning professional in 2011 – produced one of the stories of the week with a closing 67.
Blomstrand and Paratore both birdied the last for rounds of 68 and 70 respectively to join John, and when McEvoy bogeyed the 17th, there was a four-way tie for the lead.
A lay-up on the last left McEvoy 20 feet up the hill for victory, and nerves of steel saw him sink the swinging putt for a remarkable victory.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “I’ve waited a long time, 17 years as a pro on and off the Tour. I’m absolutely over the moon. A lot of hard work, a lot of bad years, a lot of good years, but it’s never quite happened, until today. I fought hard, I believed, and even at the last I overpowered my caddie to lay it up to give myself the best opportunity to make birdie, and I managed to do it.”
He added: “I’ve tried to enjoy my golf as much as possible, but I just needed to that little bit more, and it’s just come up proper trumps. It started a couple of weeks ago – I played a pro-am at Queenwood and shot 64 – a course record – and beat the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and a few other boys, and that was the start of the confidence kick, really. Winning on the Challenge Tour last week was obviously another boost to the confidence, and I’ve come good again this week.”
Victory earned McEvoy a first prize of €333,333, a rise up to 63rd on the Race to Dubai rankings, and a move into the world’s top 100 for the first time in his career, up to 81 from 275.