europeantour.com..Matteo Manassero earned himself a €288,465 birthday present with his second European Tour win at the Maybank Malaysian Open.
The Italian, who turns 18 on Tuesday, started the celebrations early as a closing 68 helped him finish 16 under and see off challenges from Grégory Bourdy and Rory McIlroy.
“I couldn’t imagine anything better – going back home to celebrate my 18th birthday and my second victory on The European Tour,” he said, after climbing to 35th on the Official World Golf Ranking. “It’s great to be able to celebrate both together. I’m just now concentrating on being in the top 50 now and getting into all the Majors. I’m very happy about this achievement.”
Having become The European Tour's youngest ever winner in Spain last year, Manassero now holds the top two positions on that list - Danny Lee was seven months older when he won the Johnnie Walker Classic.
The leaders had 27 holes to play on the final day after six hours of weather delays earlier in the week, with McIlroy immediately extending his two shot overnight advantage to three with a birdie at the par five tenth.But the 21 year old Northern Irishman was passed by Manassero and Alex Noren before the end of the third round after dropping two shots at the short 15th.
Manassero, on the other hand, birdied both par threes on the back nine for a 67 that left him 12 under with a round to go alongside Noren - who had driven the green at the par four 16th and eagled.
McIlroy was right in contention with three birdies in four holes around the turn, but three-putted the 12th for a double bogey which looked to have ended his chances but he briefly threatened to mount a storming comeback, holing from eight feet for birdie at the 16th and then hitting a stunning approach to within three feet at the next as he closed the gap to one.
Needing a birdie at the par five last he was on the green in three but his birdie putt never threatened the cup and by three-putting he finished third behind Bourdy.
“It has been a good week, I enjoyed coming to Kuala Lumpur. I’m disappointed with the result but everything else was positive. I’m proud of myself at how I picked myself up from last week and the way I came back on the back nine today.”
Manassero paid tribute to Seve Ballesteros, who he described as his golfing hero.“He is and will always be,” he added. “I grew up watching Costantino, Seve and Tiger. I thought Seve was the kind of player I wanted to be. “The crowd was cheering for him and he was different to everyone else. He is a great person and a symbol of what a person should be. He sent me a letter after I won in Spain. That was nice.”
Spain’s Rafael Cabrera Bello matched Bourdy’s closing 67 to finish tied fourth with Noren, while Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel improved to 11th over the weekend with rounds of 67 and 70
1 MANASSERO, Matteo ITA 18 -16
2 BOURDY, Grégory FRA 18 -15
3 MCILROY, Rory NIR 18 -14
T4 CABRERA-BELLO, Rafael ESP 18 -13
T4 NOREN, Alexander SWE 18 -13
6 AGUILAR, Felipe CHI 18 -12
Bryan Angus also on twitter @mummmbles
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