Waterville’s David Higgins had to settle for second place in the Challenge Tour Rankings following his poor showing in Cuba. The Irishman was well off the pace from the start, having failed to card less than 70 on more than one occasion, with the victory and number one spot going to Swedish rival, Henrik Stenson.
Higgins finished well down the field on one-under-par for the tournament, after shooting a final round 71 to bring his total to 287. Stenson’s final round of 69 for 270, 18-under-par, clinched the win for last year’s runner-up at the Varadero course. Carlos Rodiles had been in contention to pip both players to the title, but his 70 for 283 on the final round relegated him to third in the rankings.
After running in three birdies and one bogey in his final round, Stenson admitted: “I didn’t play that well today. I just kept the ball in play and holed a few putts. I felt very tired which I feel was because I concentrated on fighting David and Carlos Rodiles for the No.1 spot and all the hard work had been done.”
The Swede secured the victory by five strokes from Scotland’s Andrew Raitt, Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg and Italy’s Michele Reale. The result left Higgins 27,670 Euros behind Stenson in the rankings list, with Rodilies a further 10,000 Euros back in third.
Filed by Shane Murray
