Felipe Aguilar holed his approach shot for a stunning eagle on the final hole of The Championship at Laguna National as the Chilean claimed his first European Tour title in six years in dramatic fashion.
The 39 year old produced a sensational two-two finish to deny long-time leader Anders Hansen, following a birdie on the par three 17th hole with a superb second shot from 142 yards with a pitching wedge that went straight into the hole on the par four last.
It is the first time a player has won a European Tour event by holing his second shot on a par four finishing hole.
After two birdies on the front nine, Aguilar came back in just 28 shots for a stunning ten under par final round of 62 at Laguna National Golf & Country Club to finish on 22 under par, one shot clear of American David Lipsky (65) and Dane Hansen, who crucially dropped a shot on the 16th hole just moments after Aguilar’s eagle finale to sign for a closing 67.
It ended a six year wait for another victory on The European Tour for Aguilar following his maiden title in the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesian Open in 2008.
Key Player Quotes
Felipe Aguilar: “On the 17th green I told my caddie if I make a birdie on 18 I might put some pressure on the leader and he said you might make two. I looked at him and said they way I’m hitting the ball I might make two and I did. It’s very, very special. I didn’t think I had made it until my caddie came back and told me and the other players congratulated me. That was the cherry on the cake, definitely.
“It’s been a bit of a drought for the last six years. I’ve lost a couple of times in play-offs and had a couple of top threes and top fives, but never was able to get the round going on the last day, so it is nice to finally do it.”
Anders Hansen: “He finished two, two. It’s just one of those days. He had a good day, and played well obviously. I thought I played well too.
“If you go out last group and shoot 67 and finish -21 you think you’re in with a chance but you come up short. That’s just life.
“It’s just really, really, disappointing. To finish two-two on 17 and the 18 and hole your second shot, I don’t know what to say.”
David Lipsky: “I was still trying to give it a run even on the last hole. I was still trying to do everything I can to win. I played really well this week. I only had four bogeys in four rounds and 23 birdies and 1 eagle in total. I’ll take that any week for sure. My game is in good shape now and I’m playing very well. I definitely gained a lot of experience from this week.”
