Round 4 - Andrew Johnston wins maiden European Tour title

April 18, 2016

Andrew Johnston of England shot a 1-under 70 at Valderrama on Sunday to win the Spanish Open for his first European Tour victory.

Johnston finished with a 1-over 285 for the tournament, one shot ahead of Joost Luiten of the Netherlands and two shots in front of tournament host Sergio Garcia, who made a great charge with a final-round 4-under 67, the best of the day.

The Spaniard had the lead coming into the final hole after making consecutive birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, but he closed with a bogey to drop out of contention. Garcia also bogeyed the 15th hole. He had a total of six birdies on the day.

Johnston's final round included two bogeys and three birdies. He secured the victory by making a difficult short par putt on the par-4 18th.

''I'm pretty speechless, so happy with the way I've played,'' he said. ''I drove the ball well all week, chipped and putted well all week, I struggled a bit with my irons the first three days but I just kept going and kept digging in and then on the fourth I found something.''

Johnston's first win in 63 European Tour tournaments took him to 16th in the Race to Dubai.

''I can't wait to get back to North Mid (North Middlesex Golf Club), get hammered and see my mum and brother and see them and just celebrate,'' the 27-year-old Johnston said.

The strong winds that had made conditions tough during the earlier rounds subsided and players were able to attack the flags more often.

Luiten, a four-time European Tour winner, needed a birdie on the final hole to tie Johnston but found the greenside bunker with his approach shot.

Defending champion James Morrison of England tied for fourth at four over. Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer of Germany bogeyed the last two holes to finish at five over, in a tie for sixth.

Mike Lorenzo-Vera of France, seeking his first European Tour victory, entered the final round with a one-shot lead but collapsed with a 4-over 75, finishing in a tie for ninth.

Round 3 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera edges ahead

April 17, 2016

Mike Lorenzo-Vera of France shot a par-71 third round to take over the lead of the Spanish Open on Saturday.

The new leader, who has never won on the European Tour, eagled the 17th hole to build a two-shot advantage, but a bogey on his last left him one stroke ahead of a trio including Germany's Martin Kaymer (71), Joost Luiten of the Netherlands (70), and Andrew Johnston of England (74).

''I'm very excited,'' Lorenzo-Vera said. ''I'm going to have a big nap tonight because it takes so much energy to stay patient here. I'm just going to try to relax and enjoy it as much as I can tomorrow.''

Defending champion James Morrison (74) and fellow Englishman Ross Fisher (72) were another shot back.

Heavy winds kept scores low at the Valderrama course for a second straight day. On Saturday, only Luiten and Alex Noren shot rounds under par.

Lorenzo-Vera, whose double bogey on No. 4 was sandwiched by birdies, said the key was to remain calm even when struggling to make par.

''I'm just trying to look at the pace of the leaderboard and accept that you're going to have a lot of bogeys here,'' he said. ''A bogey on the hole is never really a bad score so you just try to accept it. Take the bogey and get out of there.''

Round 2- Pablo Larrazabal moves two clear

April 16, 2016

Pablo Larrazabal shot a par-71 in the second round through heavy winds to take a two-shot lead at the Spanish Open on Friday.

The Spaniard had four birdies but also a bogey on the second hole, followed by a 6 on the par-3 third after he hit the bunker.

Andrew Johnston of England shot 74 and is two shots behind Larrazabal.

Defending champion James Morrison (75), first-round leader Alexander Levy (76) and Alejandro Canizares (75) were all another shot back.

Larrazabal is hoping the wind - that held off Thursday - persists over the weekend.

Larrazabal says: ''If the wind blows like this, a level par or more total will win.''

Round 1 - Alexander Levy tops leaderboard

April 15, 2016

Alexander Levy of France shot a 5-under 66 for a one-shot lead over a group of four including defending champion James Morrison of England after the first round of the Spanish Open on Thursday.

Levy, a two-time European Tour winner, opened with a birdie at the 10th at the southwestern Valderrama course, and consolidated his lead with six more in a nine-hole spread, but mixed that with two bogeys.

Delighted with his round, Levy felt it was ''a very tough course, in fantastic condition.''

Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Welshman Stuart Manley and bogey-free Englishman Andrew Johnston all carded 67s alongside Morrison.

Pablo Larrazabal of Spain trailed behind alone in sixth on 3-under 68.

Tournament host Sergio Garcia finished the day on a 3-over 74.

Scores