Craig Howie wins and takes 1st place of the overall ranking
Leipziger Golf Open 2018
What an impressive premiere, what a fantastic golf tournament! The Scot Craig Howie is the first victor in the list of winners of the Leipziger Golf Open. With a birdie on the third extra hole of the playoff, the 23-year-old prevailed on Wednesday afternoon against his compatriot Chris Robb; after 54 holes on the course of the Golf & Country Club Leipzig in Machern in Germany, both had shared rank 1 with 16 under par. With his first season win and 6666.67 points for the Pro Golf Tour Order of Merit, Craig Howie also takes first place in the overall ranking after 17 of the 20 tournaments of the 2018 season, followed by Chris Robb.
Machern/Germany - The Scots have chosen this victory: After Frenchman Nicolas Maheut dominated the field in the first two rounds and led the Leipziger Golf Open 2018 on days 1 and 2, the final round of the 40,000 euro tournament was in the hands of two Scotsmen.
Craig Howie and Chris Robb, both without a tournament success this year but thanks to numerous top 3 finishes at the very front in the competition for the five promotion places for the European Challenge Tour 2019, were unaffected by temperatures close to 40 degrees.
They shone on the par 72 course of the Golf & Country Club Leipzig, played birdies in series, recorded two Eagles each and fought their way to the playoff after 54 holes. Rank 3 secured the Czech Ondrej Lieser with a total 15 under par.
The play-off situation was still extremely present for Craig Howie: Two weeks ago, he was narrowly beaten at the Zell am See - Kaprun Open by SalzburgerLand, where he lost to Lieser on the second extra hole. "That should not happen to me again this time," Howie said. "I have went very confident in this second playoff in a row."
By a bogey on track 18 of his third round, he had missed the direct victory after 54 holes, but now the man from Peebles south of Edinburgh showed great skills. First, both opponents played par on the 18th hole, then they took on this par 4 a bogey each. After this Howie played 17 for the fourth time in the tournament week with a birdie and secured his first win of the season.
"I am very happy about this success. My game has been very solid for weeks, and I have made many tactically good decisions," said the Leipzig champion. "It was my goal to reach the top 5 and proceede to the Challenge Tour. That I am now first in the ranking is fantastic!"
Impressive premiere in Machern
Fantastic, there were all participants of the Leipziger Golf Open 2018 unanimous, was also the premiere of the Pro Golf Tour in Machern: From the Players Party and the ProAm to the numerous spectators and helpers, a fantastic setup of the venue and the good condition of the course: The debut of the Leipziger Golf Open could not have been better.