Fisher Hooks
First Victory
CELADNA, CZECH REPUBLIC | Oliver Fisher
didn’t want to be one of those teen phenoms
who got lost on the way to the top. But when
the talented young Englishman, who turned pro
at the tender age of 17, didn’t win for five years,
the questions and whispers grew more persistent and louder.
“It’s been a tough year,” Fisher said late
Sunday.
But his smile belied the struggles.
Fisher, you see, had just posted a closing 69
at the Czech Open to clinch his first European
Tour victory. The win was highlighted by long
birdie putts on the 16th and 17th holes of the final
round to edge Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg by two
shots. Fisher’s winning total of 275 was 13-under
par over the 7,410 yard Prosper Golf Resort and
it moved him from No. 224 in the Race to Dubai
point standings all the way up to No. 75.
“I kind of tiptoed over the line,” Fisher said.
“But it’s my first win and it feels brilliant.”
The tiptoeing began after Fisher birdied the
final three holes of the front nine to take a com-
manding three-shot lead. That margin disap-
peared when Fisher made bogey on Nos. 11, 13
and 15 to fall one back of Lundberg, a two-time
winner in Europe.
Fisher confessed to getting ahead of himself and thinking about winning rather than
the shots at hand. “It kind of goes through your
head,” he said.
This marked just the fourth cut Fisher has
made all season. He shared the 54-hole lead at
10 under with Scotland’s Steven O’Hara.
“I went through a lot of different emotions
out there today,” Fisher said. “I hit it well on the
range this morning, so that gave me confi-
dence. I played the front nine really well, then
got a bit unlucky on the 10th. After that, the
wheels started to fall off a little bit.”
It was the 147th Euro Tour start for Fisher,
who six years ago became the youngest player
ever to make the GB&I Walker Cup squad.
Major Dan Rooney is an F-16 fighter
pilot, a decorated war veteran with
three combat tours of duty in Iraq
and a respected PGA Professional. He
combines all of his skills, passion for
the game and experience in leading
his mission, the Folds of Honor
Foundation. Since founding Folds of
Honor in 2007 and promoting it
through Patriot Golf Day, Dan has
helped raise more than $8 million.
The Foundation inspires hope by
providing academic scholarships to
over 1,500 children or spouses of
troops killed or wounded in Iraq and
Afghanistan. A collegiate player at the
University of Kansas, he is now part
owner of Grand Haven in Michigan and
The Patriot in Oklahoma. Dan is living
proof of what can be achieved through
heart and determination. We salute
Dan and all the PGA Professionals who
give back by going above and beyond.
