What a start to the long weekend! Kota Kaneko has claimed his very first DP World Tour title at the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol. With a magnificent 3-under 67 in the final round and a total score of 18-under 262, he confidently finished two strokes ahead of the competition – a truly remarkable round that won't soon be forgotten.
Drama in the Alps
The final round was not for the faint-hearted. A 71-minute thunderstorm delay added to the tension, but Kaneko remained unfazed. When Davis Bryant then faltered on the final hole and carded a bogey, Kaneko knew how to seize his opportunity and sealed the victory with a solid par.
Even a brief scare on the 18th, when his approach shot went long, couldn't stop Kaneko – he escaped without dropping a shot. Andrew Johnston was less fortunate, as his game completely fizzled out over the weekend; two even-par rounds dropped him back to a tied 17th place, seven shots behind the winner.
The Pursuers
Davis Bryant and Ricardo Gouveia finished in a tie for second place, both with strong scores of 16-under. However, there was also reason for the home fans to cheer: Austria's golf icon Bernd Wiesberger played exceptionally well and finished the tournament in a tie for fourth place at 15-under.
The DP World Tour takes no break and continues its journey. Already this week, the players head to the KLM Open in the Netherlands. Let's see if the success story continues there.
