Ormsby played his first season on the European Tour in 2004 after coming through the Qualifying School and he has done that four times since in a career that has also seen him struggle with injury at times.
A fifth-place finish at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation in last October ensured he eventually kept his card in comfortable fashion and he will now have an exemption until 2020 after winning at the 264th time of asking.
“It was a bit of a weird feeling watching Rafa with a short par putt on 18 to make it a play-off. You don't want to win like that but I'm sure a lot of guys have. I just missed one there, too. I don't know, it's not the way you want to do it, but at the same time you take them how you can get them,” Ormsby further added, “This feels amazing. I’m trying to hold it together here but I’m pretty stoked. Well, not pretty stoked: Very stoked. I played solid all day, hit a lot of greens but the putter wasn't quite behaving. You saw that at the last which was disappointing to three-putt but you have to take them when they come so I won’t be complaining too much.”
European number one Tommy Fleetwood finished alone in sixth after a closing 69 made up of 16 pars and a solitary birdie on the 17th, with four-time winner Miguel Ángel Jiménez a shot further back after a brilliant final-round 63.
India's SSP Chawrasia, who led for the first three days and began the final round with a one-shot lead in pursuit of a wire-to-wire victory, was three ahead after eight holes, finished alongside Jimenez after a triple bogey on the ninth and four bogeys in five holes on the back nine.
“I was playing well today. I start very good, and then made a triple bogey on nine and from then on, I kept dropping shots. But overall, I managed to make a comeback. I had a couple of putts missed, but that's all right,” said Chawrasia.
Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia, the two main drawcards of the tournament, finished tied at 10th and 19th respectively.
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