Sun May 18 12:33:33 2008

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Finch gets second win of the season

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Adare, Ireland (Sports Network) - Richard Finch fell into the water taking his third shot on the 18th hole Sunday, but it hardly mattered. He cruised to his second win of the season at the Irish Open.

Finch shot a two-under 70 on Sunday to take the tournament at 10-under 278. He won by two strokes over Felipe Aguilar at Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort and collected another win this season after titling at the New Zealand Open.

Armed with a three-shot lead on the par-five closing hole, Finch hit his third shot from the left rough. After impact, he fell down the hill and into the water in a scene reminiscent of Woody Austin at last year's Presidents Cup.

"Obviously it was an awkward stance. I never gave falling in a thought," admitted Finch. "My momentum on the follow through took me around and in. I tried to knock it on the green."

He did, then three-putted for a bogey. All that did was hurt Finch's margin of victory.

"It hasn't sunk in yet really," said Finch. "I'm delighted with how I played all day. I'm really pleased with how I was mentally. I tried to keep going forward this time. I was a lot more in control this time."

Finch began the final round one behind Bradley Dredge, but found himself tied for first after a shaky start by Dredge. Finch bogeyed the fourth to fall back into a large tie for the lead, but took control of the tournament right before making the turn.

At the par-five seventh, Finch knocked his second into a bunker, but blasted out to seven feet and holed the birdie to move into first. Finch appeared to be in trouble at the eighth, but made a 30-footer to save par.

He rolled in a four-foot birdie putt at the ninth, which gave him back a one- shot lead after Robert Karlsson matched him atop the leaderboard. Karlsson then missed an 11-footer for par at the 11th, and when Finch sank a six-footer for birdie at 12, he was three ahead.

Aguilar refused to let Finch win without a challenge. Aguilar birdied the 13th, then collected back-to-back birdies when his 12-footer at 14 dropped. That got Aguilar within two, but his third birdie in a row, a tap-in at 15, cut the deficit to one.

Aguilar blinked at the 16th tee. His ball landed in the water short at the par three and he walked off with a double-bogey. That gave Finch back his three- shot lead.

Finch's flat stick kept working when he made a 20-foot par save at 13. He moved four clear of the field with a six-foot birdie putt at the 15th and made a pair of routine of pars at 16 and 17.

Aguilar birdied the last to get in at minus-eight.

Finch's soggy bogey at the last only gave him a two-stroke victory, but one that all but assured him of a spot in his first major, this year's British Open, due to his spot on the Order of Merit.

Not bad for a player who almost lost his card a little over a year ago.

"It's one of those things. It snowballs really," acknowledged Finch. "I tried to keep working at my golf and think of it only as golf. When it turns around, you have to enjoy it."

Aguilar finished with a 70 for second place.

Karlsson (71), Maarten Lafeber (67), Gary Murphy (69) and Lee Westwood (72) shared third place at minus-seven.

Rory McIlroy posted a two-under 70 for seventh place at six-under 282.

Dredge struggled to a four-over 76 and tied for eighth with Alvaro Quiros Garcia, who carded a one-under 71, at minus-five.