Matteo Manassero wins the Barclays Singapore Open with a fantastic eagle on the 18th, third hole of the playoff against the South African Louis Oosthuizen. With this victory, "Manasso" breaks various records: he is the first to score three successes on the European circuit before the age of 20 and the first Italian to win the Singapore Open. The very young Veronese (19 years old) wins a very rich trophy (770 thousand euros), demonstrating, in his first play-off as a professional, the champion's temper.
Matteo starts Thursday a bit quietly with a decent round in 70, just one stroke under par. During the second 18 holes he still nibbles at a few positions, thanks to a course in 68 shots (-3), for a total result of -4 which allows him to easily pass the cut (set at +1). Bad weather and interruptions force the organizers to concentrate the last 36 holes on the last day, Sunday, which for Matteo becomes a sort of triumphal march.
In the morning he starts early and puts the turbo right away, hitting 4 birdies in the first few holes, a fantastic start to an unforgettable round in 64 shots, 7 under par. A result that allows him to climb the rankings and finally, after another round of 69 shots, to play the playoffs with Louis Oosthuizen. Both close the tournament at -13 and are forced to play off at 18, a par 5 with water on the left and a series of treacherous bunkers defending the green. Victory goes to whoever closes the hole better first.
The two challengers draw twice: the first time they both birdie; the second time Oosthuizen misses a great opportunity, missing a putt of one and a half meters to prevail over the Italian. Nothing done, par-par and the two start over, planting the tee for their 39th hole of the day.
Matteo always shoots first and his drives improve from time to time: the last one is the most beautiful, the most precise, the longest, he even manages to stay ahead of the excellent Oosthuizen, champion graduated from a Major (the British Open 2010 ), one of the most balanced and likeable players on the tour, with a simple and effective swing. Oosthuizen's second shot reaches the green and all the pressure of the day falls on Matteo's shoulders. The blue teenager once again takes hold of the wood to seek the maximum distance and unleashes one of his most beautiful shots: a slightly long ball on the rod that returns towards the hole, helped by a slight descent.
It's the stroke of a true champion: one that can be worth 400 euros (this is the difference in currency between the first and second classified) and many positions in the Race to Dubai (the European circuit) and in the world ranking. Oosthuizen makes a perfect putt and closes with a birdie, Matteo on the other hand doesn't look for discounts and sinks a downhill putt, at least a couple of meters long. An eagle that earned him his third victory on the tour. A sign of great strength of character and maturity on the part of Manassero, who in Singapore demonstrates that he has what it takes to also aspire to the American tour.
On the other hand, there are great champions at Barclays, starting with world number one Rory McIlory, who finishes third at -10; the Dane Thomas Bijorn, fourth at -9; the Australian Adam Scott fifth at -8 on a par with another Italian champion, Francesco Molinari; Phil Mickelson, 14th at -5. Next week the European tour moves to Hong Kong, while in 15 days there is the last "championship" effort: the very rich Dubai tournament (8 million up for grabs) which closes this splendid golf season.
