Antoine Rozner holed an incredible 60 foot putt on the last to win his second European Tour title at the the 2021 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The Frenchman had carded a stunning 68 in high winds on day three and entered the final 18 holes at Education City Golf Club three shots off the lead.
In calmer conditions in round four, he hit the top of the leaderboard as he turned in 33, but Guido Migliozzi joined him at the summit as he signed for an impressive bogey free 65.
After leaving himself a long way from the pin on the last, it looked like Rozner needed two putts for a play-off but he drained an incredible double breaker over the ridge to sign for a 67 and finish at eight under.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and South African Darren Fichardt finished alongside Migliozzi a shot off the lead, two clear of Welshman Jamie Donaldson and England’s Richard McEvoy.
Rozner’s victory is his second in his last six events and comes just three months after his maiden win at the Golf in Dubai Championship presented by DP World.
It means he has two wins in 29 events – making him the fastest French player ever to two victories – with just four missed cuts in an incredible start to his European Tour career since graduating from the Challenge Tour in 2019.
That 2019 campaign brought him back to back wins on the Challenge Tour, and he will now move into the top 70 in the Official World Golf Ranking – a career high.
“It’s unreal,” he said. “In my biggest dreams I couldn’t imagine anything like this happening.
“It’s probably the biggest putt of my career – amazing.
“It’s so early in my career, only my second year on tour. I’m playing great so I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, playing the way I’ve been playing the last two years and I’m excited to see what the future holds for me. It’s very promising.”
Overnight leader Fichardt put his approach at the first inside ten feet for an opening birdie and briefly led by three but Rozner and Migliozzi were making big moves up the leaderboard.
Rozner had tapped in to take advantage of the par five second and added further birdies on the fifth from 12 feet and par five sixth with a two putt, before holing from 30 feet on the next to make it a hat-trick and join the lead.
Fichardt drove into the right hand native area at the sixth but managed to save par after taking his medicine, and he led alone once more as Rozner three putted from just off the green at the eighth.
Another poor Fichardt drive on the next meant he had to play out of the desert and when he left his third 53 feet from the pin, the lead was shared at seven under.
A Fichardt three putt on the ninth left Rozner at the top on his own but he soon had company as Migliozzi completed his move through the field.
The 24-year-old had turned in 32 with gains on the second, fourth, sixth and seventh and he added another on the 11th to get right in the mix.
An approach to inside two feet on the 16th had him at the top of the leaderboard and when he made a gutsy par on the last, he had set the target.
Fichardt found the penalty area on the 11th and dropped another shot after taking a drop but he picked it back up from six feet on the 14th and was just one back.
Rozner then broke a run of nine pars with that showstopping putt on the 18th, meaning closing birdies from Fichardt and Bhullar only got them a share for second.
Fichardt signed for a level par 71, while Bhullar fired a closing 69, adding three birdies and two bogeys to that closing gain.
McEvoy carded a 68 and Donaldson registered a 70 to sit a shot ahead of England’s Chris Paisley and South African Brandon Stone, who both carded 70s of their own.
Belgian Thomas Detry, Dane Joachim B. Hansen, American Kurt Kitayama and Swede Niklas Lemke finished five shots off the lead.
European Tour Release, Mar 14, 2021
