Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen held his nerve to secure a second Challenge Tour title in three events in the UAE Challenge at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.
The Dane began the final round three strokes behind overnight leader Wilco Nienaber but fired seven birdies on his way to a five-under-par final round of 67 to finish 14 under par for the week, one stroke ahead of Nienaber in second place.
The 24-year-old, who arrived in the UAE after clinching a maiden professional win at last month’s Kolkata Challenge, was delighted with how he played throughout the week to make sure of victory.
He commented, “I feel incredible. I knew I had a chance going into today, but being able to put together a great round and get it done in the end feels amazing.”
Neergaard-Petersen mentioned that he had an excellent start in the first round, played well in the second round, but was most proud of his third round, saying, “It was probably the best round of two under par I’ve ever played.”
Neergaard-Petersen’s hard work during the off-season and an improvement in his driving were crucial to his success.
He explained, “I feel like I’ve made great strides over the winter break. I’ve gone to more of a fade shape with the driver, and that’s really paid dividends.”
After his win, he planned to celebrate with a nice dinner, stating, “We’re definitely going to go out somewhere nice and have a nice dinner, that’s for sure.”
David Horsey finished in third place on 12 under par, while Hamish Brown and Joel Moscatel were one shot further back in a share of fourth.
The sixth position saw a tie among Finn Tapio Pulkkanen, Irishman Conor Purcell, and Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, who finished on ten under par.
Neergaard-Petersen’s victory extends his lead at the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with a total of 774.53 points, putting him 303 points ahead of Alexander Levy in second place.
The next event on the Challenge Tour is the Challenge De España, scheduled to take place from May 9-12 at the Real Club Sevilla Golf.
