Nicolas Colsaerts has won the Final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship against Graeme McDowell by 1 up, in a very tough match due to the wind that hit Finca Cortesin this afternoon. With this victory, which is worth 700,000 euros, the Belgian confirms his talent under this modality and his good moment of play, he has 10 top ten this season in which he can fulfill his dream of playing the Ryder Cup. Rafa Cabrera-Bello completes an excellent tournament and places tenth in the Race to Dubai. Rafa has said goodbye in the semifinals against McDowell. His goal was to reach the US Open and he has achieved it, but he has also confirmed that he is a player who is ready to compete and beat the best in the world. The last match of the tournament has been a real fight of survivors, an agonizing fight against the wind in which the protagonists have also felt the wear of the matches they have fought against Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Paul Lawrie to get into the final.
The 29-year-old Belgian -the Tour’s top hitter this season- took an early lead with an eagle on 3, but has not been able to take off at any point. He lost the lead on the 4th with a bogey. History repeated itself with a birdie at the 6th and a bogey at the 7th. On the 8th it was McDowell who missed, but he repaired the mistake on the 9th with a birdie to even things up again. In the second round the Northern Irishman bogeyed the 11th and missed a putt on the 12th to neutralize the match again. He made another bogey on 13, but stopped the bleeding with a birdie on 14. They tied on 15 with a bogey and on 16 McDowell made another mistake that put him two down with two to play. The Belgian did not manage to finish off the match on the 17th and signed a bogey that took the duel to the last hole, where both made par.
Nicolas Colsaerts, semifinalist last year, has shown that he is a great match-play player, fighter until the last moment, as demonstrated by his 4-hole comeback against Paul Lawrie in the semifinals. Before him, he had knocked down Justin Rose and Brand Snedeker. The Belgian also holds an astonishing record in Volvo-sponsored tournaments. He won the Volvo China Open in 2011 -his only title to date- where he has been second this year, he has also signed a fourth place in the Volvo Golf Champions. With this victory he enters the top 50 in the world.
Nicothe Colsaerts
“This means everything to me. Last year I came close and was disappointed when I didn’t make the final. Two days ago I was asleep in my room thinking I had to go home and today I’m here… that’s what this format is like. Joining my name to the great legends who have won this tournament is a dream. I am very happy to have won in such a demanding field as this.
I think Finca Cortesin is one of the best hotels in the world and the treatment and hospitality has been fantastic. I knew today’s match was going to be difficult. When you play against McDowell in these conditions, knowing that he is Irish, that he has won a U.S. Open and that he is used to links golf, you know it is going to be very tough and that you are going to have to play very well.
Match-Play is a good format for me because I usually make a lot of birdies, and if I don’t make many mistakes it works in my favor. Playing the Ryder has always been one of my big dreams. It’s true that I’m well placed and that winning here brings me a little closer, but it’s still a long way off, many things can happen, there are many candidates and I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
Graeme McDowell
“I’m disappointed to have come so far and lose the final. It was a very tough match because of the wind, we went to the limit. Nicolas Colsaerts played very well, he is very talented. It is impressive how he moves the ball, he is a great player with the wind. He beat me because he was better, he deserves this victory. I know the game was not brilliant, but with these conditions it was impossible. I would have liked the holes to be won with birdies but we made pars and bogeys”.
Outstanding tournament by Rafa Cabrera-Bello Rafa Cabrera-Bello has fought his semifinal match like a wild boar after standing on hole 4, with 3 down due to a brilliant start by Graeme McDowell: birdie on 2, eagle on 3 and birdie on 4. Rafa reacted with birdies on 5 and 9. He had to give up on 11 but came back on 12 to stay just one hole behind. The Northern Irishman stopped the comeback on the 13th, but Rafa kept fighting and took the 16th after a one-hour break due to a storm. McDowell could have finished on the 17th but missed the putt and on the 18th, Rafa could not overcome his tough rival who finally got the hole and the match two up.
Rafael Cabrera-Bello
“I played very well and I was fighting until the last putt to force the play-off. He started very strong with birdie, eagle, birdie, on holes 2 to 4 and was 3 up. I attacked, but he defended very well. McDowell is a great player, today he played very well and the match was open until the end. The balance I make of the week is very positive. It was my second Match-Play tournament as a professional and the first one had not gone well. The Ryder Cup is not my goal this year. I am happy to be in a good moment of play at this stage of the season when we have very important tournaments. I know I’m well placed in the rankings, but I’m not putting pressure on myself to make the team. The important thing now is to gain experience and play for the first time the best tournaments on the calendar like the Volvo World Match Play, plus three Majors and the World Championships. I would love to play the Ryder Cup, maybe it could be this year, but I’m not obsessed. Next week I’ll play at Wentworth, then I’ll rest for a week and go to Sweden and the U.S. Open. I will rest another week and play Ireland, France, Scotland and the British Open. Jose Maria Olazabal gave me a couple of tips this year in Abu Dhabi on feel.
In Portugal, last year, I also asked him for some advice because I was leading on Sunday for the first time and he has a lot of experience. He told me I had to go to my game, to my task, and that’s what I tried to do. I would like to play the PGA Tour at some point and make both circuits compatible, but I think that today I don’t have the level to play with solvency in the United States and in Europe. I started playing golf when I was 6 years old. My father took us to the course on Sundays and my first memories are playing with my siblings (Emma and Miguel) pins for the visor. My first victory was the Spanish Championship at the age of 7. I’m an ordinary and normal guy and I like the things of people my age; I’ve been surfing for a year and I love it, I listen to 40 Principales music, and I’m easy with food because I like everything, although a little more the meat”.
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