Marcus Armitage held a two-shot lead with three holes to play but dropped four shots over the closing stretch; Englishman finished three strokes back in tied-sixth as Germany's Yannik Paul claimed a one-shot victory
Sunday 23 October 2022 18:18, UK
Yannik Paul secured a maiden DP World Tour title after a dramatic finish to the Mallorca Golf Open.
Paul birdied the last to post a one-over 72 at Son Muntaner Golf Club and end the week on 15 under, a shot ahead of fellow German Nicolai von Dellinghausen and England's Paul Waring.
Dale Whitnell shared fourth spot with overnight co-leader Ryan Fox, while Marcus Armitage squandered a two-shot lead over the final three holes to finish three strokes back in tied-sixth.
"I couldn't have dreamed of a better ending, so I'm over the moon," Paul said. "To finish like this is obviously a dream come true - I couldn't have asked for any better. I'm speechless, I'm just so happy."
Starting the final round a shot off the lead, Armitage bogeyed the opening hole after a wayward drive and followed a three-putt bogey at the par-three fourth with another dropped shot at the next.
Paul also started slowly as he bogeyed the first and three-putted the seventh, while Fox - who completed the final group and also began on 16 under - double-bogeyed the opening hole and dropped further shots at the third and sixth.
Armitage picked up a shot at the par-four eighth and start his back nine with three consecutive birdies, while Paul birdied the eighth and 11th to stay one ahead of his playing partner with five holes to play.
Paul posted back-to-back bogeys from the 14th to allow Armitage to briefly go two clear with a 15-foot birdie at the 15th, only for the advantage to be halved when the Englishman missed from three feet to card a three-putt bogey at the next.
Armitage sent his tee shot at the par-five 17th out of bounds and racked up a double-bogey seven, where Paul made par despite a wayward drive of his own, before the German holed an unlikely birdie from the edge of the 18th green to earn his breakthrough title.
Von Dellinghausen birdied two of his last four holes to close a two-under 69 and share second with Waring, who birdied three of his last six on his way to a round-of-the-day 66, while Fox ended the week three back after a three-over 74.
Armitage made a three-putt bogey on the par-four last to finish alongside Jeff Winther and Jazz Janewattananond on 12 under, with Scotland's Ewen Ferguson a further shot back in tied-ninth with Germany's Hurly Long.
There are three events remaining in the DP World Tour season, with the Portugal Masters getting under way on Thursday ahead of the Nedbank Golf Challenge from November 10-13 and the DP World Tour Championship a week later.
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