Thomas Gögele edged a tense closing day battle with Bradley Dredge to win Legends Tour’s Senior Italian Open with an excellent 54-hole whole of -19 after scores of 64, 66 and 67.
The 53-year-old German had a one-shot lead over Dredge heading into the ultimate 18 holes at San Domenico, and it rapidly grew to become a two-horse race as Gögele made two birdies and the Welshman picked up three within the first six holes to be locked collectively on -16.
Each gamers birdied the eighth and tenth however they had been lastly separated when Dredge dropped a shot on the 14th.
Gögele doubled his result in two photographs with a birdie on the par-5 sixteenth and Dredge’s three-putt bogey from lengthy vary on the par-3 seventeenth gave him a way more snug three-shot benefit going up the ultimate gap.
The German made an excellent up-and-down to go bogey-free over the past two rounds and full a three-shot win.
Dredge signed for a 69 to complete alone in second on -16 and climb to thirteenth within the season’s rating.
Gögele, whose solely earlier skilled victory got here on the Problem Tour nearly 30 years in the past, had been displaying indicators of a breakthrough victory with constantly sturdy performances all 12 months, and this week accomplished a superb run of type that featured three top-15s following a third-placed end in India.
“It’s wonderful,” mentioned the champion, who had his spouse Nicole on caddy duties this week. “It was an in depth battle with Bradley – he’s an excellent participant – however I got here out on high, and that’s improbable.
“It was nice to have Nicole alongside me for my first senior win. I just about at all times play properly when she’s on the bag – so it was becoming that I win one along with her. It’s an important second for us.”
For all of the scores from the Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open, click on right here
