Birkholz and Campomanes win European Seniors' Championships

16 Jun 2018

MEN

Martin Birkholz has won the European Senior Men's Championship at Royal Bled Golf, Slovenia. The German player shot a one-under-par 71 in round three to claim a one shot victory. 

Birkholz, who won the silver medal last year, and Sweden's Mattias Pernheden, exchanged the lead multiple times on the final nine holes. 

The German player birdied the par-five 16th hole to level the score between the two players with just two holes to play. Both players missed the green on the long par-four 17th, but Birkholz managed to get up and down, holing a 15-foot putt for par, while Pernheden missed his 8-foot par putt and tapped-in for bogey. 

That left the German player with a one shot lead with one hole to play. Both players found the thick rough off the tee on the18th, and had to chip out sideways. Birkholz missed the green with his third shot, while Pernheden left himself a 20-footer for par, which he missed. 

After hitting a great pitch shot from a tricky position, Birkholz had a 10-foot putt for the championship. The German player rolled it in to claim a one-shot victory on six-over-par.

Pernheded finished second and was awarded the silver medal, while Denmark's Tony Jensen , who shot the lowest round of the week, a two-under-par 70 in round three, won bronze. 

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LADIES

Macarena Campomanes shot the lowest score of the week in the ladies' category on the last day to win by six shots. The Spanish player's level-par 72 consisted of two birdies, two bogeys, and 14 pars and left her on a total of 16-over-par. 

It is the second time Campomanes, who formerly served the EGA's Championship Committee, has won the championship. She previously won the event on home soil in 2016.

The 2017 Ladies' Senior British Open Amateur champion recovered extremely well in the second two rounds after finding herself tied for 61st position following an opening 84 (+12) on day one. 

Defending champion, Susanne Lichtenberg, held a three-shot lead heading into the final day, but shot her highest score of the week, a nine-over-par 81, to finish in second place on 22-over-par.

Another Spanish player also claimed the bronze medal. Maria De Orueta, who won the event in 2015, finished on 23-over-par after a final round 79 (+7). 

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OVER 60

Prizes were also awarded to the leading players in the men's and women's categories over the age of 60.

German players catpured the awards in both categories. Karlheinz Noldt claimed the men's over 60 prize, finishing on 16-over-par, and Tessa Oldenbourg was awarded the ladies' with a total of 35-over-par. 

 

Full results: http://scores.golfbox.dk/Shared.aspx?l=http://www.ega-golf.ch/golfbox-result-widget/0&m=t&h=/competition/1607894/results