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Richard Sterne returns to success after 13 years

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South African Richard Sterne won the 58th edition of the Soudal Open thanks to an extraordinary finish that allowed him to climb from sixth place and finish with 266 strokes (64 68 68 66, -18). On the course of the Rinkven International GC (par 71) in Antwerp, Belgium, the DP World Tour tournament also saw a brilliant performance by the Italians, with Gregorio De Leo eighth at 269 (-15) and Francesco Laporta 17th at 271 (-13).

For Sterne, 44, from Pretoria, this is his seventh success on the European circuit, coming thirteen years after his last title. The final round in 66 (-5) was decisive, enhanced by three birdies, a bogey and especially a birdie and an eagle on the last three holes, which enabled him to pull two strokes clear of the group of runners-up consisting of Dane Jacob Skov Olesen, Spaniard Jorge Campillo, Japan’s Kota Kaneko, Frenchman Victor Perez, Englishman Marcus Armitage and Swede Marcus Kinhult, all at 268 (-16).

In contrast, South Africa’s Zander Lombard, leader after the first three rounds, lost ground, slipping to eighth place with a 74 (+3) along with De Leo. Also with them are Englishmen Ben Schmidt and Nathan Kimsey and South African MJ Daffue. Further back was Renato Paratore, 30th with 274 (-10), while Matteo Manassero finished 53rd with 277 (-7).

Sterne thus adds another prestigious result to a career that also includes two victories on the Sunshine Tour (as well as four events combined with the DP World Tour) and one success on the EuroPro Tour. For him also a check for $467,500, out of a total prize pool of $2,750,000.

Gregorio De Leo’s performance was excellent. The 26-year-old from Biella, author of rounds in 66 71 67 65, recovered ten positions thanks to an excellent final 65 (-6) with an eagle, five birdies and a bogey, thus hitting his third top ten of the season.

Positive signs also from Francesco Laporta. The 35-year-old from Castellana Grotte, after four consecutive missed cuts, returned to prominence with a final round of 65 (-6), the result of eight birdies and two bogeys, which allowed him to recover fifteen positions in the rankings.

More complicated was the Sunday of Renato Paratore (69 65 67 73), who finished with a 73 (+2), while Matteo Manassero (69 70 72 66) closed on a crescendo with an excellent 66 (-5). Edoardo Molinari, Stefano Mazzoli and Filippo Celli did not make the cut, however.

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