Hoey Holds On For Glory

 Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey secured victory at the Russian Open following a two under par final round. The golfer from Belfast finished four shots clear of France’s Alexandre Kaleka and England’s Matthew Nixon to secure his fifth European Tour title.

  Hoey went into the final round with a five shot lead after shooting a seven under par 65 during the penultimate round at the Tseleevo Golf and Polo Club. However despite taking a large lead into the final round it was not all plain sailing for the Ulsterman who saw his lead cut to only two shots at one point during his final round. However Hoey held his nerve, achieving a birdie at the 17^th to effectively secure his first win on the European Tour since claiming the Hassan Trophy over a year ago.

Hoey was delighted with his victory and stated “I have absolutely loved the golf course this week.  It's pretty amazing to think that I have won five European Tour titles. It is a great feeling to win and every time you do it you just want more and more. It has given me a great boost. I am not the most consistent player in the world but when I get into these positions I usually do okay”. He also credited the importance of his putting, saying "the putting was the key for me. I have been working hard on that a lot recently and the improvement is really showing because I made a lot of birdies. That is the main difference at this level. You have to be able to make a lot of putts because the standard is so high these days that it usually comes down to who makes the most putts”.