BMW International Open

BMW International Open

BMW International Open
Munich, Germany
Winner: Andrea Pavan

Andrea Pavan led the BMW International Open with a first round of 66. The next time the Italian topped the leaderboard was after birdieing the 72nd hole at Munchen Eichenreid. Middle rounds of 71 and 70 left him four strokes off the 54-hole lead, but another 66, with six birdies and no bogeys, gave Pavan the clubhouse lead on a total of 273, 15 under par. Only Matt Fitzpatrick could match that score, with a closing 69, although the Englishman was disappointed not to finish ahead after three-putting the drivable 16th, bogeying the short 17th and narrowly missing out on an eagle at the last.

Seven players finished two strokes behind, including defending champion Matt Wallace, who needed a birdie at the last to tie but twice found the water and finished with a bogey-six. Austrian Mathias Schwab had led by two with seven to play but joined the group at 13 under with Wallace, 54-hole leader Jordan Smith, who closed with a 72, Alvaro Quiros, Edoardo Molinari, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Fitzpatrick had a bit of luck on the first playoff hole when his second at the 18th stayed up on the bank of the greenside lake thanks to a heavy rain shower. Both he and Pavan parred the hole, as the Englishman did at the second attempt. But Pavan hit a wedge from the left rough to two feet and holed the putt for his second European Tour victory. “I had a little pitching wedge and luckily I got a decent lie, but it just felt great, it was really close,” said the 30-year-old.