Ricardo Gouveia eagled the final hole to win the Abu Dhabi Challenge in dramatic fashion after posting a six under par final round of 66 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
The Portuguese, who started the day four shots off the lead, climbed into contention with a chip-in eagle on the eighth hole before birdieing the 17th and eagling the last to get to 19 under par for the week and secure a sixth Challenge Tour title.
On a pulsating final day, where five different players held the lead, it was Gouveia who triumphed, finishing two shots ahead of England’s Tom Lewis, Dubai resident Joshua Grenville-Wood, South African Wilco Nienaber and Spaniard Ivan Cantero Gutierrez who shared second on 17 under par.
Gouveia, who topped the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2015, was pleased to rediscover his form in Abu Dhabi and return to the winner’s circle.
“It was a crazy day.” he said. “I didn’t feel like I brought my best game off the tee, but I managed myself really well. I knew the pins were going to be tucked away and my strategy was really good. I holed some nice putts and I’m so happy to finish on top.
“I tried to focus on finishing the round strong because in golf you never know what can happen. It was a special way to finish, and I’m delighted right now.”
The 31-year-old, who will tee it up at the UAE Challenge next week, admits his experience of winning Challenge Tour events in the past helped him get over the line.
The winning moment
#AbuDhabiChallenge | @MelinhoGolf pic.twitter.com/IhkYXihpff
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) April 30, 2023
“I have done a lot of mental preparation recently and I have managed my nerves a lot better,” he said. “I have been using the pressure as fuel coming down the stretch.
“I had a good pre-season, and I knew my game was heading in the right direction. I didn’t start the season great, but I had five weeks of very good preparation for this event, and I felt ready to compete at the top of the leaderboard again.
“I’m going to play next week on the Challenge Tour and after this win I have gained so much confidence.”
Zimbabwean Benjamin Follett-Smith finished in sixth place on 15 under par, while Italy’s Renato Paratore and Dutchman Lars van Meijel – who birdied seven of the final nine holes to shoot a nine under par round of 63 – shared seventh.
Gouveia catapults to ninth place on the Road to Mallorca Rankings with 328 points. Frenchman Ugo Coussaud maintains his position at the top of the Rankings with 689 points, with South African JJ Senekal staying in second place with 446 points and Swede Adam Blomme remaining in third with 409 points.
The Road to Mallorca remains in the UAE for the UAE Challenge, which takes place at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from May 4-7.
The back-to-back events in Abu Dhabi have been made possible due to the long-term partnership between the European Tour group and the Emirates Golf Federation, in addition to the support of the host venues Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, along with sponsors ARENA, Phoenix Capital and Al Laith.
