Slattery secures maiden European Tour title in Madrid
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England’s Lee Slattery survived a nervy finish to win his first European Tour title at the Madrid Masters.
The 33-year-old finished on 15-under par, one shot clear of Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli. Defending champion and World No 1 Luke Donald missed his fair share of makeable birdie putts on Sunday to finish tied-11th.
Slattery built a three-shot lead on the eighteenth tee with four birdies in five holes on the back nine. But after a perfect tee shot, he found the fairway bunker with his second and then the water with his third. He then pitched to 15 feet with his fifth shot and two-putted for a double-bogey, which was enough to secure his maiden title in 183 attempts.
“People have been telling me for years I can win and now I believe it,” he told Sky Sports afterwards.
“That has been the biggest problem and this [win] for me is huge. I had a two-footer on the last to win and I have never shaken so much in my life,” he added.
“I was so relaxed on the back nine, making birdies, but as soon as I made a mistake, like I did on the last, it became quite tough. It was nerve-wracking.”
With his win, Slattery receives a two-year exemption on the European Tour and moves up to 77th in the Race to Dubai.
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