Dier sparkles on his way to a fairytale tour success
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Germany's Tobias Dier led from start to finish to claim his second European Tour title in the TNT Open here yesterday.
Dier hit a final round 69 for a 17-under-par total and a one shot victory over Jamie Spence, with the Australian Peter Lonard and Ireland's Padraig Harrington sharing third.
"I don't really know what to say," said Dier, who won the North West of Ireland Open last year, but who has missed the cut in 12 of his last 15 events. "It's like a fairytale."
Dier's sparkling first-round 60, which equalled the lowest-ever score on tour, gave him a five-shot cushion, and he led by three after the second and third rounds following con-secutive 67s. A birdie at the seventh took him four clear, before that gap was slowly whittled down to one.
Bogeys at the eighth and 11th gave the chasing pack reason for hope and Lonard got within a shot of the lead after a birdie at the 13th. But Dier kept his nerve to eagle the 12th, just ahead of playing partner Harrington, and keep his nose in front.
Spence set up a tense finale with an eagle on the last to record a closing 65 and move to 16 under, but Dier parred the last six holes to seal victory.
Spence, one of the other eight players to shoot a round of 60 on the European Tour, said: "I missed a four footer for a birdie at the third and then was all over the place in the trees at the fourth, so I'm really pleased at the way I managed to turn it around."
The 39-year-old from Kent missed the cut by 11 shots in the Open at Muirfield last week, but a quick lesson with former tour winner Peter Mitchell on Monday got him back on track.
"I know Peter will have been watching and he'll be delighted for me," said Spence. "I've also worked with psychologist Chris Linstead and I have to thank him too."
Harrington missed an eagle putt on the last that would have given him an 18th second-place of his professional career, but admitted: "I struggled all day with my clubbing.
"I drove it well and had a lot of short irons but I don't think there was one I stood over that I was comfortable with. But the 15th broke my heart."
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