Wiesberger Singes Field In Korea
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA | You may not have
heard of Bernd Wiesberger before last week.
And they may not be dancing a Strauss waltz
back in the streets of his home country of
Austria where music is bigger than golf in the
national culture.
But that didn’t make Wiesberger’s first
European Tour victory any less sweet Sunday
in South Korea where he cruised to a five-shot
win over Scotland’s Richie Ramsay in the
Ballantine’s Championship.
“I just tried to enjoy it and I had the three
best rounds of my life,” said the 26-year-old
Wiesberger. “I tried not to make bogeys and I
did that pretty well; it was awesome.”
Wiesberger played the last 59 holes, to be
exact, without dropping a shot to par. And his
last three rounds produced course-record
numbers 65, 65 and a closing 68.
“My game plan was to hit as many
greens as possible and try to make
putts,” Wiesberger added. “And they
dropped in the end.
“I didn’t get nervous. There was a
pretty shaky moment at 12 but I made
a great chip and a putt for par,
but I just tried to enjoy it the last three
or four holes in.
“I fly home
tonight, I’m pretty
sure I’ll have a shot
of Ballantine’s in the
Emirates lounge. I’m going
to bring back a couple of bottles
of Ballantine’s so they will be
opened, I’m sure.”
Wiesberger, who had previously finished
second twice on the European Tour, posted a
winning total of 270, 18 under.
Australian Marcus Fraser was first to try
and challenge Wiesberger, trimming his
advantage to four with a 30-foot birdie putt at
the third.
But Wiesberger, a runner-up in Scotland and
South Africa last season, responded with a pitch
to six feet at the long fifth for a first gain of the
day after opening with four consecutive pars.
Four further pars saw Wiesberger turn in
35 and still five clear, and he clocked up five
further pars as Ramsay came charging from
the pack.
The Scot hit his tee shot to five feet at the
16th for his sixth birdie of the day to close the
gap to three, but that was as close as anyone
got to Wiesberger.
The two-time Challenge Tour winner respond-
ed with a glorious pitch at the par- 5 15th to
eight feet and holed a 20-footer at the 16th.
Ramsay birdied the last to secure
second on 13 under after a 65, two ahead
of Fraser and France’s first-round
leader Victor Dubuisson.
“I’m really, really pleased with
the round, it’s been fantastic,”
said former South African Open
champion Ramsay. “You never
want to lose – being a golfer, we
always want to be the one that
wins – but Bernd has played
fantastically well out there.”
RESULTS
Staff and Wire Reports
Bernd Wiesberger
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