Bourdy wins Wales Open by 2 shots

By foxsports
Published

Gregory Bourdy birdied his last three holes Sunday to end a four-year winless drought with a two-shot victory at the Wales Open.

The Frenchman started Sunday three shots behind Peter Uihlein of the United States but had a good start with an eagle at the par-5 second hole. He finished even stronger with birdies at 16 and 17 before holing a 15-foot putt at the last for a 67 and an 8-under-par total of 276.

Uihlein birdied 15 and 17 but needed another one at the 18th to force a playoff. However, he three-putted for bogey to settle for a 72 and Bourdy got his first victory since the 2009 Hong Kong Open title, and fourth European Tour victory overall.

''It was an amazing round and I made an amazing finish with those three birdies in a row, so I am very happy,'' Bourdy said. ''I will remember the finish on this great course for a long time. A lot of great moments have been here.''

Uihlein, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on the first day of the event, was looking for his second title of the year after capturing the Maderia Islands Open.

Denmark's Soeren Kjeldsen shot a 66 for the best round of the day to finish third at five under par. European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley grabbed his best finish in 15 months by shooting a 67 to share eighth place on 1 under.

''I've said before since being Ryder Cup captain that it is an important part of my duty I need to show that I can stay competitive on tour so that will give me more opportunity (to) play with the potential team players in groups,'' McGinley said.

And Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be selected for next month's Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

Jaidee needed to finish second in the defense of his Wales Open title to move from his current 12th place in the International Team points table and into the top-10 to gain automatic selection. Depending on the results Monday at the PGA Tour's Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, he could still make the team after shooting a final-round 69 for a share of 26th place.

Both International Team captain Nick Price and US captain Fred Couples will announce their two wild-card picks on Tuesday.