Spanish golfer Joel Moscatel secured his first title on the Challenge Tour with a thrilling final-round comeback at the Challenge de España. The competition came down to the wire at the Real Club Sevilla Golf course (par 72) in Seville, Spain, where Moscatel (274 – 68 71 68 67, -14) clinched victory with a birdie on the last hole, edging out Danish player Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who finished second with 275 (-13).
Neergaard-Petersen missed out on his third win of the season, which would have immediately propelled him onto the DP World Tour, after a bogey on the final hole dashed his hopes. He was joined by Finnish player Tapio Pulkkanen, who led after three rounds with a three-shot advantage over his two rivals (both of whom finished third) but struggled on the final stretch towards the finish line.
Joel Moscatel, results
Meanwhile, Gregorio De Leo (279 – 69 74 68 68, -9) staged an impressive final-round comeback from 21st place with a 68 (-4, including an eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys), securing his first top-ten finish of the season.
Pietro Bovari was alongside De Leo until the penultimate hole, but a mistake on the final green dropped him to 15th place with 281 (74 66 69 72, -7), although this did not detract from his solid performance. Further down the leaderboard were Aron Zemmer and Stefano Mazzoli, tied for 42nd place with 286 (-2).
Englishman Jamie Rutherford finished fourth with 276 (-12), never truly in contention for victory despite being second after 54 holes, while Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia and South African Robin Williams tied for fifth with 277 (-11), and Frenchman Felix Mory finished seventh with 278 (-10).
Defending champion Martin Couvra from France finished 27th with 284 (-4), while Luca Cianchetti failed to make the cut, finishing 152nd with 156 (74 82, +12). Moscatel, a 25-year-old representing the Real Club de Golf El Prat near Barcelona, earned his Challenge Tour card at last year’s Qualifying School (finishing 34th) after starting his career on the Alps Tour.
He becomes the fifth Spanish player to win in the event’s 25 editions and received a winner’s check of €43,200 from a prize fund of approximately €250,000 (with the official figure being $270,000).