GOLF:MICHAEL HOEY said it will take quite some time to sink in after he emerged victorious from a play-off with Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano to land his maiden European Tour title at the €1.25 million Portuguese Open at Oitavos Dunes in Cascais.
The 30-year-old came from five shots back with a joint-best-of-the-day 66 to set the clubhouse target of seven under par, before he was joined by Castano, who closed with a 67.
Having started the day tied 19th, Hoey had to wait around for over an hour until the final groups finished, before teeing it up in a classic matchplay tussle with the Spaniard, who was undefeated in three previous play-offs.
Hoey carries a quiet demeanour and in the play-off he remained patient. The pair played the 18th twice but couldn’t be separated after they made par both times.
The protagonists then moved to the 17th, where the Irishman overshot the green and his backswing for the pitch was restricted by a tree. But the Belfast pro still managed to get within 10 feet before holing the decisive par putt after Castano had missed from 25 feet.
“I still can’t believe I was in a play-off, never mind getting up and down, up and down, up and down (in the play-off),” said Hoey, who picked up by far the biggest cheque of his career, €208,330.
“This won’t sink in for a long time. Going out today the plan was to get a few under par for a decent finish, but I never thought about winning.
“It was my day, I holed a few putts, got lucky and had all the breaks.”
It’s been a long road to get to this point for Hoey, who has made several visits to qualifying school since turning professional in 2002 after he won the British Amateur Championship and played Walker Cup the previous year.
Hoey finally secured his rookie season on the main tour in 2006, but things didn’t go his way and he lost his card and returned once more to the Challenge Tour, where he learned the art of winning.
In 2005, he won the BA-CA Open, before adding the Open di Puglia e Basilicata two years later and the Moroccan Classic last year.
This season Hoey came through Qualifying School and showed signs he could handle life in the top tier with three top-20 finishes, including tied sixth in Madeira two weeks ago. He was also runner-up to Retief Goosen at the Sunshine Tour’s African Open in January.
But yesterday’s win will have the greatest impact. “This is a life-changing moment for me, what with the two-year exemption and getting into all the big events, it’s amazing really,” added Hoey.
“I tried not to think about any of that standing over the final putt, because I thought about it too much in regulation play.
“It’s a joke really – bit of a dream. I’ll watch it (the victory) on video and cherish it for a long time.”
