World Golf News - 21 October 2010

In Europe a surprise victory took place when Australia’s Richard Green won the Portugal Masters, beating Pablo Martin who had the lead at the start of the fourth round. Starting the day seven strokes off the front-runners, Green fired a blistering final round that astounded fans at the Oceanico Victoria Club in Villamoura. Reaching nine under par at the 15th, Green proceeded to bogey two holes before retiring to the clubhouse to await the final result as other players finished off their round. In the end, a single stroke clubhouse win allowed Green to lift the trophy.

In the United States, US PGA Tour veteran Rocco Mediate won his first tournament in almost a decade when he claimed victory at the Frys.com Open. The American golfer, who is just two years shy of fifty, maintained a three stroke overnight lead despite several bogeys in his final round to win the championship by just one stroke. Second place went to Bo van Pelt and Alex Prugh, also of the United States. In a dramatic final round, Mediate weathered several serious challenges from the rest of the field, briefly losing his outright lead before a spectacular birdie putt at the sixteenth put him back on top of the leader board and secured his victory.

In women’s golf, Spain’s Beatriz Recari won her first LPGA title on Sunday when she was victorious at the CVS/pharmacy Challenge. In wet weather at the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, California the twenty-three year old rookie shot a final round of 14 under par, beating Gwladys Nocera of France by a single stroke to lift the trophy. Despite a bogey at the seventeenth, the graceful young golfer maintained her composure and finished off her final round with par at the eighteenth to win. With a championship win in her rookie year, golf fans can expect many more riveting performances from Recari in the future.