Renato Paratore powered his way to an historic Italian Tour success with his three-shot victory in the Betfred British Masters at Close House near Newcastle – https://closehouse.com/
The 23-year Roman golfing gladiator was in a class all his own posting a closing two-under par 69 and win by three shots with an 18-under par tally on the hilly and demanding Close House course.
Paratore’s maiden Tour victory was at the 2017 Nordea Masters and he becomes the first Italian to win on the European Tour in two years since Francesco Molinari captured the 2018 Open at Carnoustie.
Renato Paratore is your 2020 #BetfredBritishMasters champion!#GolfForGood pic.twitter.com/TXW7AuGPbw
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 25, 2020
And Paratore is also the 29th Italian to win in 48-year history of the European Tour since then 24-year old Baldovino Dassu became the first to win on Tour in capturing the 1976 British Masters.
Given a ‘no spectator’ rule organisers set-up at the back of the 18th green a iPad video hook-up with his delighted mother, Christina back in Rome while Paratore then headed to the scorer’s hut under a 10-player golf club guard of honour that included the face mask wearing fellow Italian-born Tour winners Andrea Pavan and Guido Migliozzi along with Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and the oldest Tour winner.
Paratore said: “I am really happy. I played very solid and I didn’t expect to come back and win my second title after the lockdown. I have worked really hard over the last year and I am really happy to win again.
“I never thought about it today because if I start to think about it, I am going to make a bogey. So, I just told myself to play good and try to win the tournament.
2020 Betfred British Masters winner – Renato Paratore (Photo @EuropeanTour)
“It was really windy and really difficult, and when I made the first bogey, I made a really good birdie after to stay in the tournament.
“Both of my wins now have been tough fought on my part. In Sweden, the last day was rainy and windy, so both were tough conditions but I think that helped me because there weren’t low scores, and I was playing really good, so I was able to focus myself to stay in the lead.
“And it was really amazing, I didn’t expect that from my friends here on Tour to form a guard of honour, and it was a good sensation.
“These are the moments I love and to speak to my mum, it was a big surprise and I was really happy.
“It was a little bit strange but fortunately there is some crowd at the end but the last hole I just tried to think about making birdie and that was it.
A golf club guard of honour for 2020 Betfred British Masters winner Renato Paratore (Photo – @EuropeanTour)
“For me the European Tour have done a really great job, it is not easy to come back to tournaments with this situation, and they have been good with the restrictions at the golf course and the hotel.”
Paratore went 62 holes over the hilly and testing course before taking a first bogey at his 63rd and ninth hole and thus ruining matching a 25-year old record set by Swede Jesper Parnevik in posting four bogey-free rounds to capture the 1995 Scandinavian Masters.
He dropped a second shot at 11 and with his rivals failing to challenge, he played his closing seven holes in one-under par.
Dane Rasmus Hojgaard (70) was runner-up on 15-under par and with South African Justin Harding (72) third on 14-under par.
