Tadini back to Winning Ways

Alessandro Tadini held off a late challenge from Raphaёl De Sousa to clinch his first European Challenge Tour win of the season by a single stroke following a thrilling finale at the Oceânico Group Pro-Am Challenge. The Italian led by two shots going into the final hole when he found the road with his drive but produced a fine four iron chip to within 15 feet and then two-putted for a bogey, while Switzerland’s De Sousa agonisingly missed his birdie chance. After the glorious sunshine of the first three days, the conditions were more akin to those usually associated with Manchester when the heavens opened at Marriott Worsley Park Hotel & Country Club. But that failed to dampen the Italian’s spirits after he finished on 16 under par to get his hands on the silverware for the first time since 2004, when he won the Costa Rica Open. He said: “It feels really good to win here. I’ve played well this week. Today was tough because the course was playing more difficult. I tried not to look at the leaderboard today. I just tried to play safe today and I made four birdies and three bogeys. “On the last hole I looked at the leaderboard for the first time today. I was happy to make the five after my drive went wide and I chipped to get back on. I tried to play the hole very safe as I thought a bogey would be enough.” The win takes Tadini up to third on the Challenge Tour Rankings, behind England’s Gary Boyd and Argentine Estanislao Goya, and the 34 year old is targeting two more victories this season to help him qualify for The European Tour. He said: “I’m category 12 on The European Tour so I don’t play every week. I’ve played four tournaments so far on the Challenge Tour and I’m hoping for two more wins and to finish in the top 15 and get a good ranking for The European Tour next year.” Overnight leader De Sousa’s hopes of his maiden Challenge Tour title were all but washed away in the rain when he carded a double bogey six on the eighth hole, and another dropped shot on the ninth. The Swiss player produced a late third round surge with two birdies in his last three holes to leapfrog Tadini yesterday, and looked like he might reproduce that thrilling finish when he picked up shots on the 16th and 17th holes to close the gap to two strokes but fell just short on the last. His second successive runners up spot, following the Piemonte Open, takes him up to fifth in the Challenge Tour Rankings. Swede Klas Eriksson, who continued his good form after a fifth place finish at the DHL Wroclaw Open last week, finished in third place on 14 under par after a fine 66 today.