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QUEENSTOWN (New Zealand) - LITTLE-KNOWN Englishman Richard Finch snared his first European Tour golf title here on Sunday when he took the New Zealand Open by a three-shot margin.
Finch carded a final-round par 72 to finish on 14-under 274 in a dramatic closing to the European and Australasian co-sanctioned event at The Hills course near New Zealand's tourist capital Queenstown.
Although he was never seriously challenged, Finch put pressure on himself as he posted three bogeys over the final nine holes.
'I think I started thinking too much about what I was doing and then I tried not thinking about what I was doing,' he said. 'It's the first time I've been in that position and it's a bit difficult thinking how your going to deal with it.'
Finch, who came to New Zealand after finishing a respectable 10th in the Australian Masters, made an inauspicious start on The Hills course with a first-round 73 including a double bogey on the par-three 16th.
But he stormed through the field with a seven-under 65 on the second day and went a stroke better with an eight under 64 on day three to go into the final round three strokes clear of halfway leader Steven Bowditch of Australia.
Bowditch started a challenge on the final nine holes with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th, before wasting the advantage with two bogies then recovering with an eagle.
He ended up tied for second with countryman Paul Sheehan, who moved up from fourth with a final-round 69.
The big movers on the final day were Swede Alexander Noren and Australian Craig Parry who shared the day's best round at six-under 66 to leap from 19th equal to fourth equal with Stephen Jeffress and Matthew Millar of Australia. -- AFP
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