Golf:Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey put himself back into the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut with a three-stroke victory at the Hassan Trophy in Morocco today. Nine behind after his opening 74, the 33-year-old grabbed his fourth European Tour victory - and second of this cup campaign - with two superb closing rounds of 65.
Former British amateur champion Hoey took the €247,500 first prize with a 17-under-par total of 271 and when asked about the Ryder Cup said: "I've not really been thinking about it, but I'm obviously in contention."
He beat compatriot Rory McIlroy at the Dunhill Links Championship last October and it was another Irishman, Damien McGrane, whom he pushed into second place this time.
McGrane shared the lead with a round to play along with Matteo Manassero.
The 18-year-old Italian had to win to have a chance of qualifying for The Masters via the world's top 50, but fell away to joint sixth with a 72.
The 40-year-old McGrane led by three after starting with back-to-back birdies, then found himself two behind when Hoey followed a two on the short second with four successive birdies from the fifth.
It was nip and tuck again when he bogeyed the long 10th and McGrane made four, but three more birdies in four holes from the short 14th settled it.
Not that his 65 was the round of the day. It was not even close in fact.
Welshman Jamie Donaldson, yet to win in nearly 250 Tour events, shot a course-record 61 to share third place with fellow countryman Phillip Price and England's Robert Coles.
Donaldson covered the back nine first in 28, only one off the Tour record, with two eagles and four birdies, then started for home with another birdie to be nine under for his first 10 holes.
The circuit's first 59 was a possibility at that point, but he found the water on the long fifth.
After a six there, though, he added a further birdie on the seventh and at the 394-yard ninth sank his nine-iron approach for a third eagle.
After equalling his lowest ever round Donaldson said: "I forgot about the end result and concentrated on one shot at a time. It was a great day."
As it was for Hoey, who had not had a top-10 finish since his victory at St Andrews nearly six months ago.
"I've worked hard with Jamie Gough. My swing is more consistent and Phil Kenyon has been helping me with my putting," he added.
Manassero's disappointing final round was good news for Ernie Els in Florida.
It meant the South African, joint third with a round to go in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, could make the world's top 50 and qualify for The Masters by finishing third rather than second.
Collated final round scores & totals in the European Tour Trophee Hassan II, Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco (Irish in bold, par 72):
271 Michael Hoey 74 67 65 65
274 Damien McGrane 65 68 71 70
275Robert Coles 73 70 65 67, Jamie Donaldson 72 68 74 61, Phillip Price 68 66 72 69
276Matteo Manassero (Ita) 69 70 65 72, Keith Horne (Rsa) 69 70 70 67, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 68 70 71 67
277Hennie Otto (Rsa) 69 69 70 69, James Kingston (Rsa) 70 67 70 70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 69 71 69 68, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 70 65 70 72, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 74 68 67 68
279Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 68 69 70 72, Craig Lee 73 68 70 68, David Horsey 72 70 71 66
280Anthony Wall 69 73 69 69, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 70 68 73 69, Richie Ramsay 68 70 73 69, Andy Sullivan 72 72 68 68, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 72 69 66 73, Shane Lowry 73 68 71 68, Matthew Baldwin 70 68 68 74, Bradley Dredge 74 68 66 72
281Brett Rumford (Aus) 71 66 75 69, Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 70 66 70 75, Gary Orr 72 67 71 71, Daniel Denison 73 66 71 71, Branden Grace (Rsa) 74 67 67 73, Richard McEvoy 69 72 70 70, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa) 75 68 70 68, Graeme Storm 68 72 69 72
282George Murray 72 72 71 67, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 75 68 71 68
283Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) 72 67 72 72
284Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 73 70 73 68
285Andrew Johnston 72 69 72 72, Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 72 67 73 73, Jamie Moul 76 67 71 71, Tommy Fleetwood 74 70 72 69, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 68 69 72 76, Julien Quesne (Fra) 72 70 73 70, Timothy O'Neal (USA) 70 73 71 71
286Richard Bland 72 72 70 72, Chris Wood 74 70 69 73, Joost Luiten (Ned) 70 66 73 77, Do-hoon Kim (Kor) 76 65 72 73, James Morrison 77 67 69 73, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 71 68 71 76, David Drysdale 71 71 75 69, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 72 69 74 71
287Christian Cevaer (Fra) 75 69 73 70, Mark Murphy 72 68 71 76, Marcel Siem (Ger) 73 71 72 71, Danny Willett 71 67 75 74, Scott Jamieson 72 70 74 71
288Steven O'Hara 71 69 76 72
289Steve Webster 72 72 74 71, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 67 72 78 72, Rhys Davies 75 69 72 73, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 73 71 70 75
290Tano Goya (Arg) 71 72 74 73, Pablo Martin (Spa) 76 67 77 70
291Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 73 65 77 76, Markus Brier (Aut) 77 66 73 75, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 74 70 71 76
292Andrew Dodt (Aus) 73 71 72 76, Kenneth Ferrie 68 75 74 75
294Edouard Dubois (Fra) 73 71 78 72
295Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 71 72 72 80
302Lorenzo Gagli (Ita) 69 75 76 82
