PAUL McGINLEY is no longer the bridesmaid of the European Tour after storming to his first victory in the Austrian Open at Litschau yesterday. The 29 year old Dubliner ended three years of frustration in brilliant fashion by shooting a last round 62 at the Waldviertel club.
His round contained 11 birdies and took him to a one stroke win over Spaniard Juan Carlos Pinero and English rookie David Lynn. Waterville's David Higgins, who was in second place overnight, had a 73 to finish joint ninth.
McGinley's winning aggregate was a 19 under par 269 for which he won £41,660 and took his winnings for the season past £200,000. He is now 11th in the European Tour rankings just behind Padraig Harrington.
But cash, and a certain place in Ireland's Dunhill Cup team in October, took second place to McGinley's delight at ridding himself of the label of best European player yet to win a tournament. He was second twice in 1993 in Lyon and Paris, again in Spain in 1994, when he lost a play off for the Mediterranean Open to Jose Maria Olazabal, and was also runner up to Ian Woosnam in this year's Heineken Open in Perth in February.
Last year, McGinley was also runner up in two of the bigger events on the Irish scene, finishing second to Philip Walton in the Smurfit Irish Professional Championship and losing in the final of the Glen Dimplex Irish International Matchplay championship at Seapoint to Des Smyth.
"Psychologically I am now over the hurdle," he exclaimed, "and now I want to keep on progressing. That first win is out of my mind. It had been nagging me for a long while, so to do it in this style is a fantastic feeling."
McGinley began the event with a 73, but recovered with middle rounds of 66 and 68 and his last day onslaught, in which he was only one shot outside the course record set by Alexander Cejkn on the way to winning last year, meant he was 20 under par for the last 54 holes.
Yet he was eight shots behind Pinero before yesterday's round and Irish hopes were pinned firmly on the back of Higgins, who was eagerly seeking his first victory and was lying only three shots behind in second place. However, the first bear professional missed early chances to wipe out that deficit, notably at the short fourth where he missed a four foot birdie chance, and the long fifth where he fluffed a greenside chip.
Pinero took bogeys at both holes and had Higgins converted his opportunities he would have shared the lead. Instead it was McGinley who swiftly became the major threat with a rip roaring start which saw him birdie seven of the first eight holes.
He twice holed from 20 feet but it was mainly the result of some very accurate iron play. However, he under hit his tee shot at the ninth and three pulls from the front of the green cost him an outward 29.
McGinley's response was to birdie the 11th and 13th, the latter after a one iron shot to eight feet, then the 16th where he was down from five yards for his 10th birdie and into the outright lend. His putter was almost on fire after he holed from 25 feet to save par at the short 17th after a cameramen had disturbed him over a greenside chip from which McGinley had backed away, but he duffed the shot on returning to the ball.
