Welshman Donaldson wins Irish Open to end drought

Welshman Jamie Donaldson ended a 10-year maiden Tour winless drought to capture the Irish Open at Royal Portrush. The 36-year-old Donaldson shot a final round 66 to win by four strokes with an 18-under par tally. Donaldson went into the last round leading by a stroke but soon distanced himself from his rivals with three birdies in succession from the third hole. He then dropped a shot at the 11th but bounced back with three birdies in four holes from the 12th before dropping a second shot in his round at the 16th but then finishing birdie, birdie. "It hasn't sunk in yet but to be standing here with the trophy is all a bit surreal," he said. Donaldson turned pro in 2000 after capturing the Welsh Amateur Open Stroke-Play Championship but it's taken 255 Tour events to finally savour success. "I guess it takes some people longer than others, and it's taken me a lot longer than I thought to win," the Pontypridd-born player said. "The first three years went too quickly and then I was out for a year with injury, so I didn't find my feet too soon after that, and then I lost my way a bit. "But over the last two to three years I feel as though I have been building to this win and it's just so nice to be finally holding this trophy." It had been a positive week for Donaldson as he began in shooting a 62 at Sunningdale to qualify for the British Open and then he recorded a first-ever Tour hole-in-one on day one of the Irish event. Donaldson earned a first prize cheque of 333,330 euros that has seen him jump 42 places to 21st on the Race to Dubai money list. Three players, Londoner Anthony Wall (69), Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello (66) and Paraguay's Fabizio Zanotti (66) shared second place on 14-under par. Wall, who trailed one shot behind Donaldson heading to the last day, bounced back from a triple hole bogey at the second to play the next 15 holes in six under par. However a last hole bogey cost the 37-year old Wall second on his own. Irish hopes of a Royal Portrush champion rested with Padraig Harrington who went into the last day two strokes behind Donaldson. However the triple Major Champion stumbled at the first in taking a bogey on route to an eventual 70 for a share of seventh place with the Scottish duo of Craig Lee (68) and David Drysdale (66) on 12-under par. "The game's good but I've got to hole more putts, and that was the key today," said Harrington. "I've got this week off but then the Scottish Open so between this week and Castle Stuart, it should provide good preparation for Royal Lytham." World No. 2 Rory McIlroy will sit out the next two weeks with his next event the British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes from July 19. McIlroy posted a bogey free final day 67 to share 10th place on 11-under par. "I just struggled with the pace of the greens all week, but it's nothing to worry about," he said. Meanwhile, Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and South African Richard Sterne qualified for the British Open after finishing the two leading players on a mini money list that ended with the Irish Open.