Larrazabal claims DP World Tour title on home soil for first time with triumph in Tarragona

By Sports Desk April 24, 2022

Pablo Larrazabal clinched the ISPS Handa Championship title by one shot on Sunday to land a DP World Tour trophy on Spanish soil for the first time.

Barcelona-born Larrazabal was tied for sixth heading into Sunday's final round in Tarragona, but a flurry of birdies propelled him into the lead.

That included a streak of five in succession from holes nine to 13, and though he bogeyed the 15th, he got that shot back on the following hole and gained another on the 18th to card a brilliant eight-under-par 62.

Having set the clubhouse target at 15 under, Larrazabal watched on as Adrian Otaegui (66), Hennie du Plessis (67) and Aaron Cockerill (67) all fell short.

Spaniard Otaegui finished at 14 under to take second place outright, with South African Du Plessis and Canadian Cockerill sharing third a shot further back, and Larrazabal has now won seven DP World Tour/European Tour titles, with this his second of 2022.

"What a day. But I knew that my golf was there," said Larrazabal.

"I couldn't make any putts the first three days, but I told my girlfriend last night that she had to choose the clothing for the pictures.

"I knew that I had a low one in my bag and that's what I did. Today I holed putts and that was key. To shoot 62 in windy conditions with the flags out there, it was good.

"I'm glad I got the seventh title at home. I live one hour and 15 minutes up the road and it's very special to win in Spain, in front of a few friends of mine, and obviously in front of my girlfriend and my brother.

"So it's not going to be the most emotional win in my career, but it's one of them. There were a lot of key moments today to keep that round going, and that hot stretch in the middle of the round was unbelievable.

"The golf I played on those five holes was probably the best golf in a long, long time."

Frenchman Antoine Rozner finished in fifth on 12 under, with China's Li Haotong two shots further back in sixth place.

Related items

  • Scheffler swinging with confidence at Tour Championship despite seeing lead cut to four Scheffler swinging with confidence at Tour Championship despite seeing lead cut to four

    Scottie Scheffler insists his swing is "in a good spot" despite seeing his lead at the top of the Tour Championship standings cut to four shots on the second day.

    Scheffler, who is aiming to win his first FedEx Cup title, carded 65 in his opening round and entered the second round with a 10-shot lead.

    However, the world number one saw American duo Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele close the gap during a weather-disrupted second round on Friday.

    Scheffler carded a round of 66 to take himself to 21 under par, aided by two birdies in the final three holes to keep the chasing back at bay. 

    "I feel like my swing is in a good spot, and I've hit it nice the last couple of days," he said. "A lot of quality stuff out there, and in a good spot going into the weekend."

    Morikawa is four shots off the pace after producing a superb eight-under 63, which was the best round of the day, and has surged up the standings to second place.

    In an impressive round, he dropped just one shot on the 11th hole, but made amends on the back nine before closing with back-to-back birdies. 

    "He's going to continue to make birdies," Morikawa said about the possibility of catching Scheffler. "He's driving it really, really well here, and you're giving yourself enough wedges to make some scoring opportunities out there.

    "For me, it's just about bringing energy and just staying alive out there."

    Schauffele is in third, one shot behind compatriot Morikawa, after shooting an impressive second-round 64 to remain in the hunt for the $25million prize money. 

    There is then a four-shot gap until a group of three players, including Adam Scott, are tied for fourth place at 12 under, while Rory McIlroy is tied for 10th place on eight under.

  • 'Still feel like I've got a chance', says McIlroy as Scheffler takes Tour Championship lead 'Still feel like I've got a chance', says McIlroy as Scheffler takes Tour Championship lead

    Scottie Scheffler is in prime position to win his first FedEx Cup title after storming into a seven-shot lead at the Tour Championship.

    The world number one, who started on 10 under due to the FedEx Cup's staggered structure, carded a superb 65 in the first round of the PGA Tour's season-ending tournament, after recovering from an early bogey at East Lake.

    Scheffler's haul included seven birdies, with five of those coming from his last seven holes, as he bids to win a seventh PGA Tour event of the season.

    His main FedEx Cup challenger Xander Schauffele is tied for second on nine under par, along with Collin Morikawa, while Rory McIlroy is three shots back in T10.

    However, the Northern Irishman has not given up hope of applying pressure to Scheffler as the tournament goes on.

    "I'm happy with how I hung in there and had a good finish," McIlroy told Sky Sports.

    "When I saw Scottie had gotten to 14, I was like, 'Oh, got to try to just hang on to the coattails a little bit'.

    "Still feel like I've got a chance, and it was nice to finish the way I did."

    Scheffler, also speaking to Sky Sports, said: "Yeah, I'm pleased with the day.

    "I tried not to think about any sort of lead or anything like that, my job was to go out there and execute and I felt like I did a really good job of that. I felt like I was doing some good stuff to start the day.

    "I had the bogey on one but after that I felt like I played some really good golf."

  • Bradley in disbelief after moving into FedEx Cup contention with BMW Championship win Bradley in disbelief after moving into FedEx Cup contention with BMW Championship win

    Keegan Bradley was in disbelief after putting himself in FedEx Cup contention by winning his second BMW Championship title on Sunday.

    Bradley, who was appointed as the United States' 2025 Ryder Cup captain last month, edged out Adam Scott to claim a one-shot victory at the event near Denver.

    Scott pulled level with Bradley at the start of his final round but later bogeyed three straight holes as the American won his seventh PGA Tour title.

    Bradley, who also won the 2018 tournament by beating Justin Rose in a play-off, now sits fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, behind Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama.

    Following his victory, the 38-year-old set his sights on another triumph at next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, having only just squeezed into the 50-player field at Castle Pines.

    "Oh, man, it just shows why you've got to grind it out every week because you never know how fast it can switch," Bradley said.

    "Now I go to Atlanta with a chance to win the FedEx Cup. I can't believe it. I'm so excited.

    "I'm in a bit of a state of shock because there was a time a week ago about this time that I didn't think I was going to be coming here. 

    "I had to have a lot of magical things happen for me to just play in this tournament, and when I got here, I was so grateful just to be here.

    "I played with a real sense of calm all week, which is not the norm for me"

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.