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29 OCTOBER, 2023 - DP WORLD TOUR: Sami Välimäki defeated Jorge Campillo in a play-off to win his second DP World Tour title at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The Finn carded a birdie on the first sudden death hole, ending a more than three and a half year wait for a follow-up victory to his maiden 2020 Oman Open success.
Välimäki, who won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award in 2020, spent most of the day trailing the Spaniard, who held a two-stroke lead after the third round and increased his lead to three after Välimäki bogeyed the fifth. He recovered immediately with birdies on the seventh and eighth, and gains on the 12th and 13th saw him draw level on 18 under par.
The pair traded bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes, with Välimäki taking the lead for the first time after an excellent tee shot on the par three 17th set up a ten-foot birdie putt. Campillo then birdied the 18th to force extra holes as they both finished on 18 under.
In the play-off, both competitors found the rough with their tee shots, forcing them to lay-up on the par five 18th. Välimäki put the pressure on as he hit his approach to four feet, as Campillo left himself ten foot for birdie. The Spaniard pushed his putt, while Välimäki holed out for his second victory on Tour.
The Finn carded a birdie on the first sudden death hole, ending a more than three and a half year wait for a follow-up victory to his maiden 2020 Oman Open success.
Välimäki, who won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award in 2020, spent most of the day trailing the Spaniard, who held a two-stroke lead after the third round and increased his lead to three after Välimäki bogeyed the fifth. He recovered immediately with birdies on the seventh and eighth, and gains on the 12th and 13th saw him draw level on 18 under par.
The pair traded bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes, with Välimäki taking the lead for the first time after an excellent tee shot on the par three 17th set up a ten-foot birdie putt. Campillo then birdied the 18th to force extra holes as they both finished on 18 under.
In the play-off, both competitors found the rough with their tee shots, forcing them to lay-up on the par five 18th. Välimäki put the pressure on as he hit his approach to four feet, as Campillo left himself ten foot for birdie. The Spaniard pushed his putt, while Välimäki holed out for his second victory on Tour.
“(IT'S) Unbelievable." SAID THE FINN. "It’s hard to talk. It has been a long journey, it feels great.
“The course played quite tight today. I feel like I played nicely, but still a couple of mistakes and you always get punished. The course setup and everything was really nice. The birdie on 17, I thought I had it at 15 and 16, I didn’t make those putts, but luckily I had that one.
“I work so hard. I feel like I’ve earned it a couple of times, but it hasn’t come my way. That’s why it feels so amazing.”
In a share of third place were Nacho Elvira of Spain and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson. Jamieson needed a strong week to secure his playing rights for 2024 as the Top 116 on the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex would earn their cards for next year. Starting the week 119th, he carded a 16 under par total to move up to 82nd on the season-long standings.
Occupying the 116th and final spot was 2010 Ryder Cup player Ross Fisher, who finished in a share of 36th place on seven under par.
“The course played quite tight today. I feel like I played nicely, but still a couple of mistakes and you always get punished. The course setup and everything was really nice. The birdie on 17, I thought I had it at 15 and 16, I didn’t make those putts, but luckily I had that one.
“I work so hard. I feel like I’ve earned it a couple of times, but it hasn’t come my way. That’s why it feels so amazing.”
In a share of third place were Nacho Elvira of Spain and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson. Jamieson needed a strong week to secure his playing rights for 2024 as the Top 116 on the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex would earn their cards for next year. Starting the week 119th, he carded a 16 under par total to move up to 82nd on the season-long standings.
Occupying the 116th and final spot was 2010 Ryder Cup player Ross Fisher, who finished in a share of 36th place on seven under par.
