Thorbjørn Olesen came under heavy pressure from David Horsey after the Englishman shot 29 on his front nine to cut the leader’s advantage.
But three birdies in the space of four holes were enough to pull Olesen clear and set him on the way to a three-shot win and a fourth European Tour title, with Horsey and Chinese player Li Haotong finishing in a share of second.
The Dane, 26, broke the course record with a round of 62 on Friday and he follows in the footsteps of Victor Dubuisson, the champion in 2013 and 2015, and 2014 winner Brooks Koepka.
Olesen said: “I knew the guys were able to shoot a low number and after nine holes they were so there was a lot of pressure on there. I kept it steady. The win at the Turkish Airlines Open means a lot. The last three or four months I haven’t played well and I didn’t feel comfortable in the lead but I got over the line.”
Foreign Affairs Minister of Turkish Republic, Mr. Mevlut Çavuşoğlu, a golf lover, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Turkish Republic Mr. Abdurrahim Boynukalın, and Turkish Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications Ms. Seda Kalyoncu were the parts of the prize presentation group.
Ms. Kalyoncu said: “This was another fantastic tournament and we are delighted that Thorbjørn Olesen is our new champion. He played superbly at the Regnum Carya as a worthy winner. We are already looking forward to next year’s tournament. I would also like to thank Turkish Golf Federation’s President Mr. Ahmet Ağaoğlu, the European Tour and all of the staff at the Regnum Carya Golf and Spa Resort for all their hard work.”
The Turkish Airlines Open was the first of three tournaments in The Race to Dubai’s Final Series and the 78 players competed for a $7 million prize fund at the Regnum.
It is the fourth time that Turkish Airlines sponsored the tournament, which took place between November 3 and 6. The agreement with the European Tour lasts another two years.
Turkish Airlines was chosen as ‘Europe’s Best Airline’ for the sixth straight year and flies to 292 destinations around the world.
