Sport

Bottomley and Lomas keep their nerve to take title

STEVEN BOTTOMLEY, the 31 year old Yorkshireman, and Cheshire's Jonathan Lomas kept their nerve to win the Novotel Perrier Pairs…

Mon Oct 21 1996 - 01:00

STEVEN BOTTOMLEY, the 31 year old Yorkshireman, and Cheshire's Jonathan Lomas kept their nerve to win the Novotel Perrier Pairs event on the last green and share a £70,000 first prize in Bordeaux yesterday.

They won by just one shot after a gruelling battle with Richard Boxall of Camberley and Derrick Cooper of Warrington with a 23 under par aggregate of 332 in this unique tournament. But it proved a disastrous finish for Cooper, who three putted from 30 feet at the 18th hole.

In yesterday's final round each pair added their two scores together and Bottomley and Lomas, who had begun the day two shots ahead of Boxall and Cooper, totalled 139 with Lomas going around in 69 and his partner 70.

At one time it looked as if they would run away with the event for they were five shots clear after only two holes.

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But Boxall, who was round in 68, and Cooper (70) clawed away at the lead and with four holes to play the two pairs were all square.

Boxall had a birdie at the 15th but so did Bottomley, then all four players parred the 16th and 17th but not before Bottomley had got up and down from a greenside bunker for his par three.

Then came the vital 18th hole. Bottomley and Lomas were on in two and comfortably got their fours. Boxall was hunkered off the tee and 50 yards short in two but got up and down for a magnificent par.

So it was all up to Cooper who had potted six feet past with his 30 foot downhill putt. It had to go in to force a play off but his putt went agonisingly wide.

Bottomley, who had never previously won a European Tour event, said: "I knew I had to get up and down from the bunker at the 17th for us to stay level and was lucky enough to hit it to three feet and hole the putt."

Lomas, who won the Chemapol Czech Open two months ago for his first Tour win, added: "This is easily my best season and I'm delighted for Steve because it will do him a power of good.

"It's a nice Christmas present but I felt sorry for Derrick. He must have felt awful after three putting the last green."

South African Wayne Westner and London based Yorkshireman Malcolm Mackenzie finished third on 335, 20 under par. But the round of the day was played by Sweden's Freddie Lindgren, who broke the course record with a nine under par 62, and he and Joakim Haeggman finished joint fourth with Paul Broadhurst and Ross McFarlane on 336.