Nicolai von Dellingshausen secured his maiden DP World Tour title after a putting masterclass on Sunday propelled him to a two-stroke victory at the Austrian Alpine Open presented by SalzburgerLand.
The HotelPlanner Tour graduate went into the final round one shot off the lead but found himself two clear at the top of the leaderboard after making back-to-back birdies at the 3rd and 4th.
A bogey at the 6th dropped the German into a share of the lead but Von Dellingshausen bounced back by picking up four shots in three holes from the 8th to reach 19 under par and give himself breathing space.
A bogey-free 60 from last week’s winner Kristoffer Reitan saw the Norwegian set the early clubhouse target at 17 under to apply pressure on those in the final groups.
And Von Dellingshausen did suffer a couple of late scares as his tee-shot at the 16th landed in a fairway bunker before he saved par from 10 feet, while his tee-shot at the 18th flew towards the penalty area but landed safely in the rough.
He managed to make a closing par to finish the tournament on 19 under and enter the winner’s circle for the first time at this level.
Norway’s Reitan finished in a tie for second alongside long-time leader Marcel Schneider on 17 under.
Von Dellingshausen started the day on 14 under, one behind countryman Schneider, but soon joined the lead after his playing partner bogeyed the 1st.
After producing two good up-and-downs for par at the 1st and 2nd, Von Dellingshausen took the lead on his own when he slotted in a 25-foot birdie on the 3rd, and he doubled his advantage with a seven-footer at the next hole.
He cancelled out a dropped shot on the 6th with an eight-foot birdie at the 8th before a remarkable 30-foot eagle on the 9th took him to the turn with a two-shot lead.
And Von Dellingshausen continued to impress on the greens as he started the back nine, holing from 16 feet at the 10th to move three clear.
Some clutch par saves followed, from six feet at the 13th and 10 feet on the 16th, before he parred the last to round off an impressive victory.
“I can’t describe it, honestly. I’m a little bit lost for words right now,” he said. “I’m trying really hard not to cry. It’s been such a tough journey the last two-and-a-half years with losing the card.
“It’s all got me to this stage right here and now I’m here!
“I was hitting good golf shots. It never felt like it could get out of my hands, to be honest, because I was just hitting the numbers I wanted, hitting the shots I wanted and even if things got a little tough here and there I saved pars, made some really nice putts along the way and I’m just happy overall.
“The par on the 16th was the moment where I said ‘OK, now it’s mine, now there’s nothing going wrong’.
“Seeing the ball dropping was just the momentum I really needed for the last two holes.
“It’s amazing. Thanks to everyone who came out here and just watched and supported us. It kind of feels like a home tournament for me. I love playing in Austria. I always play well when I play here for some reason – must be the food!
“It was just amazing to have so many people coming out here cheering for us.”
Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
