Spurgeon shows his mettle to become worthy winner of the first MCB Open

England’s Kevin Spurgeon is the first-ever Mauritius Commercial Bank Open champion. The 54-year-old claimed the title over the Legend course at Constance Belle Mare Plage on Sunday with a final round performance that was full of character and determination.

Seeking his first win in a five-year career on the Senior Tour, Spurgeon went into the closing day with a two-stroke advantage over playing partners David Frost, from South Africa, and Englishman Nick Job.
But he saw that lead disappear by the fifth hole and become a four-stroke deficit after the 11th, where he dropped two shots.

However, fortune swung decisively and dramatically in Spurgeon’s favour at the next hole, where a five-shot swing saw him regain the lead and the 54-year-old from Ferndown, Dorset, regained his momentum as one by one his challengers fell away.
Standing on the 17th tee, Spurgeon needed to par the final two holes to remain a stroke ahead of clubhouse leader Gordon J Brand. His tee shot found the back bunker and, with the pin as close as it could be to the edge of the putting surface, Spurgeon faced an horrendous chip back down the slope.
He executed it almost perfectly and the testing 10-foot putt found the centre of the hole.
After that little drama, Spurgeon was taking no chances on the twisting 501-yard par-five final hole.

He hit the fairway with a three-wood and maintained progress with an eight-iron. His wedge from 60 yards found the green and it was then that he knew he was home.
“This is unbelievable,” he said after signing for a level-par 72. “I thought I had blown it when I double-bogeyed 11 but I picked up a couple of birdies at 12 and 13 and that got me going again.
“I didn’t know what anyone else was doing so I just kept playing hole by hole and I played the last couple of shots at 18 from muscle memory. I don’t remember much about it.”
Spurgeon conceded that he a little nervous at the start of the final round:
“I was a bit shaky off the first and the second and three-putted the third, which gave me some jitters but then I hung on in there.
“On the 11th I actually made a good five. I missed the green left and then hit the overhanging branch of a tree. I duffed the next but then chipped to five feet and holed the putt, so it was a good five in the end.
“I thought I was out of it after that when Nick birdied the same hole to go to seven-under par and I went back to three under so there was a big swing of shots there. “Then he took eight on the next and I took three, so I got them all back in one go which gave me more confidence and Nick fell away.”
Spurgeon also had the ominous presence of David Frost to contend with in the final group but, as the 50-year-old South African reflected:
“It was tough on the greens and the putts wouldn’t drop for me today.”
As it was, Frost was the only player from the last two groups to come near to Spurgeon.
He carded a one-over-par 73 to drop back for a share of fifth place, three shots behind the eventual winner and alongside compatriot John Bland and Americans Bob Boyd and Mike Cunning, whose five-birdie 67 was joint best of the day.
A disconsolate Job never recovered from the horrors of the 12th hole, where his drive missed the fairway left and his mishit approach ended among the rocks and undergrowth short and right of the putting surface.
He tried unsuccessfully to play out from among the boulders and was forced to take a drop as the nightmare continued, eventually ending with the ball going in for an eight.
A 76 saw Job finish six shots behind the winning mark in 14th place but that was better than the three men in front of him.
England’s Glenn Ralph and Peter Mitchell, together with playing partner Peter Dahlberg, from Sweden, had their own frustrations to deal with and all three signed for four-over-par 76s for a share of 16th position.
The day’s other 67 lifted defending Senior Tour order-of-merit champion Sam Torrance into joint third spot.
The 56-year-old Scot, a regular visitor to the Belle Mare Plage resort for family holidays, carded seven birdies and two bogies to finish level with Paraguay’s Angel Franco, who closed with a level-par 70.
They had already departed the tournament office as Spurgeon made his way up the 18th fairway, leaving second-placed Brand in front of the television screen, waiting to learn if he would be needed for a play-off for the title.
Brand had birdied the 166-yard 17th in his round of three-under 69 to put the last piece of pressure on the leader but Spurgeon proved up to the task.

“This win really sets me up for the season,” he said. “And it gives me a couple of years’ exemption, so it is huge for me. “It has been a great experience and the tournament has been a resounding success. “The course is tough but rewards good golf and the resort is wonderful. “I’m so looking forward to coming back here and defending my title next year.”

Leading final scores: 210 K Spurgeon (Eng) 71 67 72; 211 Gordon J Brand (Eng) 72 70 69; 212 A Franco (Par) 70 72 70, S Torrance (Sco) 74 71 67; 213 J Bland (RSA) 72 70 71, B Boyd (USA) 73 69 71, M Cunning (USA) 74 72 67, D Frost (RSA) 70 70 73; 214 R Chapman (Eng) 70 73 71, R Willison (Eng) 72 72 70; 215 J Bruner (USA) 75 69 71, R Drummond (Sco) 71 72 72, D Johnson (USA) 68 77 70.

All final scores click here

Neil webber