England’s Gordon J Brand held off an illustrious list of challengers that included Greg Norman, Order of Merit leader Sam Torrance and Carl Mason to secure his maiden victory on the European Seniors Tour at the OKI Castellón Open de España Senior.
Brand closed with a level par 72 at Sergio Garcia’s home course of Club de Golf Mediterráneo to secure the €45,000 first prize with a winning 54-hole total of 13 under par 203.
The former Ryder Cup player had started Sunday’s final round in Valencia with a five stroke lead, following scores of 65 and 66, but finished two shots clear of Torrance and Carl Mason, who returned scores of 69 and 68 respectively for a share of second place on 11 under par.
Norman, who was playing in only his sixth tournament of the year following a second operation on his troublesome right knee, remained in contention before bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes saw him return a 71 for a share of sixth place.
“I didn’t make any putts today. I hit it fairly decent but nothing happened – it wasn’t meant to be,” said the two-time Open Champion.
Brand, who was second to Norman in The 1986 Open Championship at Turnberry, was relieved to break his duck in his 24th outing on the European Seniors Tour.
“That was hard work – I am delighted but exhausted. I knew they were getting close but I just kept plugging away making pars. I wasn’t 100 per cent confident out there, but having a lead meant I could play to the safe parts of the green,” he said.
Torrance was also happy, as his €25,500 runner-up cheque moved him a huge step closer to a second successive Order of Merit title. With the penultimate event due to start in Portugal on Friday, the Scotsman leads the standings with €319,996 and can only be caught if either Mason or José Rivero win both of the last two events.
“I knew how important that putt at the last was for the Order of Merit. I had a good run at trying to catch Gordon today but my three-putt at ten ended it. I couldn’t really get close enough after that,” said Torrance, who is now well placed to beat the Order of Merit record set by Mason at €354,000.
Earlier, Brand had looked like he might pay the price for adopting a defensive approach following his free-scoring performances of the first two days.
The Yorkshireman fired a brilliant, bogey-free 65 on Friday and followed it up with a beautifully controlled 66 on Saturday to move five clear of the chasing pack on 13 under par.
But after four holes on Sunday he had seen his lead cut to two by Torrance, who birdied the first and fourth holes while Brand’s only diversion from par was a dropped shot at the second.
At that stage Mason was on nine under par after a second birdie of the day at the sixth and Norman and Cambridge were both a shot further back.
Cambridge dropped out of contention with two successive bogeys approaching the turn and it was now down to a four-way race between Brand, Torrance, Mason and Norman.
Brand turned for home in 37 – four shots worse than all of his three rivals – and was now coming under severe pressure.
Some welcome respite came in the shape of a Torrance three-putt bogey at the tenth and Brand was swift to capitalise, picking up his first birdie of the day with a ten foot putt at the 11th, a blow that sent him three strokes clear of the pack.
Norman was first to play the difficult 15th and a bogey ended his outside hopes of victory, while Mason, playing in the group behind, conjured a brilliant birdie to move within one of the lead.
But Mason’s hopes of a third straight victory disappeared when he pulled his drive into the trees at the 18th and could only make a bogey five, while Brand parred the final five holes for a two stroke victory and his first European title since the Belgian Open on The European Tour 17 years ago.
South African Bobby Lincoln, who had earlier closed with a fine round of 67 to post the clubhouse lead at eight under par, collected his third top ten of the year with a share of fourth place. Also finishing on that mark was Australian Stewart Ginn, who closed with a 68.
A shot further back were Norman and Chile’s Guillermo Encina, who like the Australian returned a 71.
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