Clarke Lutton (-7) approached the 17th hole at Calanova Golf with a one-shot advantage. Pressure was on for a par 3 where there had only been four birdies in the entire day. He opted to hit a 6 iron and he didn’t hit the mark on the green. The wind played a bad trick on him. In any event, far from throwing in the towel, he saw where the ball had landed and quickly decided it was a feasible chip. And so it was…
Lutton landed the approach, made a birdie and got to the 18th with a nice two-shot advantage cushion. He even gave himself the liberty of finishing with a bogey. The win was already in the bag. It’s the 29-year-old Scottish golfer’s second win as a professional, who practically participated in the entire Gecko season.
“I’m really happy with the win. All wins are important, this one included. I have been really focused throughout these days, missed very few shots off the tee and created lots of options for birdie. Yesterday I was able to capitalize on many of them (six birdies on the first ten holes), but today it was harder for me to land the putts”, the champion said just after receiving his winner’s check.
In the end, Lutton won with a one-shot advantage over Swiss golfer Jean Luc Burnier and two over Alex Belt and Scott Fernández. His final score over 36 holes was 137 shots, a good indicator of his high caliber of play if we consider the difficulty level at Calanova, a demanding course usually golfed with a buggy and where the wind can cause major setbacks.
It was a tough day for the winner. “It was a difficult round. The rankings were tight and I knew that there were lots of golfers following close behind. It’s a fantastic victory and I have to hand it to my short game. It was incredible”, he remarked. Lutton, who has played in the last two Commercial Bank Qatar Masters of the European Tour, will play in the Mena Tour this year, after having maintained the card (a top ten in 2016), and the Alps Tour. “My main goal is to continue to improve and progress as a golfer”, he affirms.
As far as the last round today, Alex Belt’s extraordinary game is worth noting. The British golfer shot a 64, proving that he is more than sufficiently prepared for the jump to the PGA Tour in China. In fact, all the golfers have demonstrated that they’re ready for the Gecko Tour grand finale on the Finca Cortesín course. The tournament will be held Monday and Tuesday of next week, where the new reigning champion of the sixth edition of the Gecko will be determined. Swedish golfer Andreas Andersson is the current leader of the order of merit.
