Japan’s Kota Kaneko held his nerve to safe a primary DP World Tour title with a two-shot victory on the Austrian Alpine Open offered by Kitzbühel Tirol.
The 23-year-old, who topped final season’s Japan Golf Tour Order of Advantage to earn his DP World Tour card for this season, fired a closing spherical 67 (-3) to complete on 18 beneath par at Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith, two forward of Ricardo Gouveia and Davis Bryant in a share of second.
Kaneko arrived in Austria off the again of a runner-up end ultimately week’s Soudal Open, and he was delighted to go one higher simply seven days later and declare the €401,554 first place prize.
With Sunday’s tee instances moved ahead 4 hours to keep away from an incoming lightning risk, it was Gouveia who made the primary transfer on the second gap to take a seat alongside third spherical chief Kaneko at 15 beneath, however the Portuguese participant was quickly on his personal in entrance when his Japanese taking part in accomplice dropped a shot on the subsequent.
Kaneko hit again with a birdie on the fifth to return to the summit, earlier than residence favorite Max Steinlechner joined them in a three-way tie.
Steinlechner loved two birdie bursts to catapult himself into competition, with a hat-trick of positive factors from the second earlier than one other treble of birdies from the ninth. He was not the one Austrian to surge up the leaderboard as nine-time DP World Tour winner Bernd Wiesberger adopted a birdie on the third with three extra positive factors from the sixth to achieve 15 beneath.
Joost Luiten completed his entrance 9 along with his third birdie of the day to extend the management group to 5, just for Gouveia to empty a 15-foot birdie putt to take the outright lead on the similar gap. Gouveia improved to 17 beneath with a birdie on the tenth, however Kaneko was one behind after following go well with. Nevertheless, the Portuguese chief obtained in bother on the subsequent and couldn’t save par, slipping again alongside Kaneko at 16 beneath.
Kaneko put his foot on the pedal with a birdie on the twelfth earlier than a surprising tee-shot on the par-three thirteenth. Wiesberger holed a putt from downtown to hitch Gouveia at 16 beneath, however the pair had been quickly two behind. The Japanese participant held his nerve from three toes to card his third birdie in 4 holes and grow to be the primary participant to achieve 18 beneath.
Bryant closed the hole to at least one, following an eagle and 4 birdies by the sixteenth, whereas Kaneko obtained out of place on the fifteenth and had a protracted putt to save lots of par, which he lipped out after the prolonged climate delay.
That meant Kaneko and Bryant had been tied on the prime at 17 beneath, however just for yet another gap. Regardless of discovering the tough on the par-three sixteenth, Kaneko holed his chip shot to regain his one-shot benefit at 18 beneath. Bryant bogeyed the final to reward the Japanese a two-shot lead, one thing he didn’t throw away.
Kaneko parred his means residence, regardless of a scary end when he hit the stands behind the inexperienced and his ball stopped within the thick tough by the water hazard, to say his maiden DP World Tour title.
Kota Kaneko WITBDriver: Ping G440 Max (10.5°)Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Qi4D (16.5°), TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (21°), TaylorMade Qi4D (24°)Irons: TaylorMade P-760 (5-9)Wedges: Titleist, Vokey SM11 (46°, 52°, 56°, 60°)Putter: Odyssey Ai-ONE Cruiser Arm Lock 7Ball: Titleist Professional V1
