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Fitzpatrick capitalises on late Soderberg collapse to win Andalucia Masters
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Ryan Benson
Stats Perform
Matt Fitzpatrick was victorious in Andalucia
Matt Fitzpatrick was victorious in Andalucia

Matt Fitzpatrick bounced back from Ryder Cup woe by claiming his seventh European Tour win as the Englishman took full advantage of Sebastian Soderberg's late capitulation to clinch the Andalucia Masters title.

Overnight leader Laurie Canter rarely looked as though he would get the win to secure his first €1million season, his five over par seeing him finish tied for fourth.

Soderberg looked to be the one to capitalise on Canter's fall, with the Swede playing some fine golf at times – his exceptional par save at the ninth, consisting of a wonderful chip to within a few inches of the hole, seeing him reach the turn three under for the round.

Another excellent up-and-down at 11 earned him a birdie and the lead.

Although a bogey on the 13th pegged him back, Soderberg quickly got that shot back with another birdie on 15 as he looked well-placed to go on and take the trophy.

But the timing of his costly double bogey on the 17th could not have been worse as Fitzpatrick – a hole back – simultaneously ended a streak of 15 pars with his first birdie of the day. Over the course of a single hole, Soderberg went from a two-shot lead to trailing by one.

Fitzpatrick – playing in his first tournament since making it two Ryder Cup appearances without a point – quickly turned that into a two-shot lead of his own before closing out with a par that left him at six under for the tournament, three clear of the rest of the pack.

While Fitzpatrick is by no means a stranger to successes on the Tour, victory at Valderrama was particularly special.

Asked how he felt afterwards, Fitzpatrick said: "Amazing, particularly the way I did it, staying patient all day, didn't try to press anything. We stuck to our targets and I managed to hole the putts at the end.

"It's one for the bucket list to win around Valderrama with the history it has, and doing it with a bogey-free Sunday, it's extra special, so I'm delighted.

"You can hit half decent shots and then be behind a tree, you're chipping out or you've got to manoeuvre something. It's a true test to be patient for the whole 72 holes, I'm really pleased with my attitude all week."

Soderberg ultimately finished tied for second with Min Woo Lee, while seven players were an additional shot back.

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