Thriston Lawrence wins BMW International Open in Germany
The former Lowvelder held his nerve to claim his fourth DP World Tour title
Former Lowvelder Thriston Lawrence claimed his fourth DP Word Tour title when he won the BMW International Open at Golfclub München Eichenried on Sunday June 25.
He finished the tournament on 13 under par, one shot better than Joost Luiten of the Netherlands.
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino, Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer and Poland’s Adrian Meronk tied for third on -11.
Lawrence shot a one under par 71 in the first round last Thursday to tie for 47th place. Hoshino held the lead on -6.
A four under par 69 took the former Lowvelder to -4 for the tournament and a share of 15th place. Hillier moved to the top of the leader board on -9.
On Saturday, Lawrence shot a 66 to move him to -10 and tied third on the leader board.
Luiten held the lead after three rounds on -14.
But Lawrence remained calm under pressure in the final round and carded a 69, while Luiten signed for a 74.
The Mbombela Golf Club honorary member took home a winner’s cheque of R6.3m.
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“I got the injury at the beginning of the year and just never really got momentum after that. I came into this week with a lot of confidence, hitting it really well,” said an emotional Lawrence shortly after the final day’s play.
“It means a lot. There’s been a lot of hard work. I went to America for six weeks and made one cut – this game is not easy. It was a real boost today, and I really gave it my all. I feel sorry for Joost, I know how tough this game is.
“I don’t know why I’m so emotional, but obviously it just shows that it means the world, and to get my fourth victory in Germany is unbelievable.
“I seem to win a lot of events that Ernie [Els, who won the tournament in 2013] has won. It’s special, he’s obviously the ultimate hero for me. I grew up in that era where he was on top of the world, and it’s very special to get my name alongside his.”
Lawrence moved up to 15th place on the DP Tour ranking and 75th on the Official Word Golf Ranking, the highest-ranked South African.
