Sport

Heggarty's 67 leaves him top of class

NORTHERN IRELAND'S Jimmy Heggarty overturned a seven-shot deficit to win the European Senior Tour Qualifying School on Portugal…

Fri Nov 21 2008 - 00:00

NORTHERN IRELAND'S Jimmy Heggarty overturned a seven-shot deficit to win the European Senior Tour Qualifying School on Portugal's Algarve to top the class of 18 graduates who gained playing privileges for 2009.

Heggarty fired a superb four-under-par final round of 67 to match South African Berrtus Smit's seven-under-par total of 277 and top the leaderboard courtesy of a card play-off, with Smit posting a level par 71.

The 52-year-old dropped shots on both 11 and 12 but managed to recover with three birdies. "I holed a monster 60 foott putt on the seventh for birdie which got me going but I played 10 and 11 really badly," he said.

"Last year I did the same thing and bogeyed 10, 11 and 12, so I got a bit anxious but I said 'no, stop it' and then I made a birdie on the par five 12th. That was the key hole.

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"I've been playing nicely all week and today I just got it going," he said. "I wasn't really out to win it; I was just out to win my card. I knew if I shot two or three under par that would be good enough.

"It means I've now got another full season ahead of me on the European Senior Tour. I've got a lot to do though during the winter, but it gives me something to look forward to."

Argentine Alfonso Barrera, who finished joint third with England's Peter Allan on six-under-par 278, would have finished a shot clear of Heggarty had it not been for a two stroke penalty incurred for practice putting on the third green, which is prohibited by local rule.

Peter Hanna and amateur Oliver O'Hara finised well off the pace on 14 over par after rounds of 76 and 77 respectively for 298.

RICHARD STERNE hopes his decision to take a more relaxed approach to the Hong Kong Open can pay dividends and bring an end to an inconsistent year on the European Tour.

After a solid start to his season with joint 20th at the HSBC Champions, yesterday he carded a six-under-par 64 to share the first-round lead in Hong Kong with China's Liang Wen-chong.

Sterne, who was introduced to golf by his grandmother at the age of four, hopes tweaks to his game will bear fruit come Sunday final round.

"Right now, I don't get too fazed anymore. I think I have found a few right things here and there. This is the first week I am trying it so we'll see what happens," said Sterne.

Liang, meanwhile, is hoping to become the first Asian player in a decade to win the tournament. The 30-year-old was well placed to take the outright lead after seven birdies but then three-putted his last hole for a bogey.

Rory McIlroy was the highest-placed of the Irish after carding a level par 70, one shot better than Graeme McDowell, Gareth Maybin and Paul McGinley.

(Irish and Brit unless stated, Irish in bold par 70). Leading scores: 64 - Wen-chong Liang (Chn), R Sterne (Rsa); 65 - F Minoza (Phi), Wen-Tang Lin (Tai); 66 - F Molinari (Ita), Ter-Chang Wang (Tpe), O Wilson, C Plaphol (Tha); 67 - P Hanson (Swe), M Ilonen (Fin), R Kulacz (Aus), Artemio-hiromasa Murakami (Phi), C Phadungsil (Tha), O Fisher, M Fraser (Aus); 68 - Inn-choon Hwang (Kor), S Kjeldsen (Den), Wen Teh Lu (Tpe), J Edfors (Swe), J Daly (USA), R Gangjee (Ind), C Nirat (Tha), D Beck (Aus), C Montgomerie, S Drummond, C Rodgers, M Both (Aus), I Steel (Mal), D Dixon, A Que (Phi), G Flint (Aus); 69 - C Cevaer (Fra), B Langer (Ger), J-B Gonnet (Fra), Young-Woo Nam (Kor), P Edberg (Swe), B Leong (Mal), D Frost (Rsa), P Larrazabal (Spa), J-M Olazabal (Spa), D Vancsik (Arg), T Remkes (Ned), Paul Lawrie, Wook-Soon Kang (Kor), Joong Kyung Mo (Kor), B Dredge; 70 - Wei Chih Lu (Tha), Y Ali, M Erlandsson (Swe), R De lacy staunton (Hkg), S Griffiths, T Jaidee (Tha), Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor), A Kang (USA), L Slattery, J Pagunsan (Phi), S Hend (Aus), R McIlroy, Shun yat jason Hak (Hkg), Jong Yul Suk (Kor), A Lascuna (Phi), A Rizman (Mal), J Sandelin (Swe), D Horsey, T Wiratchant (Tha), L Oosthuizen (Rsa), M Brown (USA), M Mamat (Sin), T Carolan (Aus), A Johl (Ind), D Bransdon (Aus), P O'Malley (Aus); 71 - A Hansen (Den), U Park (Aus), S Dyson, J M Lara (Spa), D Chopra (Swe), S Barr (Aus), H Buhrmann (Rsa), N Fasth (Swe), M Brier (Aut), S Little, Keng-chi Lin (Tai), S Supupramai (Tha), J M Singh (Ind), G Ghei (Ind), R Sabbatini (Rsa), M Campbell (Nzl), G McDowell, G Maybin, P Price, S Strange (Aus), D Lynn, M Rominger (Swi), G Simpson (Aus), M A Jimenez (Spa), G Bourdy (Fra), P McGinley, J Randhawa (Ind); 72 - N Faldo, Z Moe (Kor), M Pucay (Phi), A Wall, M Jonzon (Swe), G Havret (Fra), S Kapur (Ind), D Gleeson (Aus), P Waring, Lian-Wei Zhang (Chn), Chih-bing Lam (Sin), P Broadhurst, T Kiyota (Jpn), P Archer, J-F Lucquin (Fra), M Foster, S Hurd.