Golf Hoch adds to Gallacher's cup fears

Golf

Scott Hoch took a shopping trip to Amsterdam to please his wife Sally and ended up with a cheque for pounds 108,330 after winning the Heineken Dutch Open in Hilversum yesterday.

Coming a week after the success of his American compatriot, John Daly, in the Open at St Andrews, it was not the news Europe's Ryder Cup captain, Bernard Gallacher, had wanted with the September match at Oak Hill looming.

Hoch finished with a 65 and a total of 269, 15 under par, two shots clear of Scotland's Sam Torrance and the tour rookie, Michael Jonzon of Sweden, who shared second place.

Derrick Cooper, from Warrington, had birdies at the last two holes to finish one stroke further back.

Torrance also picked up a shot at the 17th and came to the last needing a birdie to force a play-off with Hoch. But his second shot found sand and, although he reached the green, he could only two-putt for a share of second place.

The consolation for Torrance is that he now leads the European Tour Order of Merit having overtaken Germany's Bernhard Langer.

Torrance, the overnight leader, birdied the ninth to go 13 under but bogeys at the 11th and 13th proved costly. The Scotsman finished with a 70.

Jonzon, a graduate of the qualifying school last winter, moved to the top of the leaderboard for a time at 14 under. But the enormity of what was happening suddenly hit the 23-year-old Swede and he dropped shots at the 15th and 16th only to birdie the last.

Gallacher will also try to stay calm but the signs are not looking good for the European team. Colin Montgomerie had to settle for equal seventh after starting with a double-bogey six to finish with a level-par 71.

Ian Woosnam, who has indicated he will not keep playing in the hope of being selected, did not improve his chances, finishing joint 16th after shooting the same score as Montgomerie. It means he stays 11th in the Ryder Cup standings, just outside the selection zone.

Mark James finished on the same mark as Woosnam while another strong candidate, David Gilford, missed the cut.

Details, Sporting Digest, page 23