Gavins A European Tour Winner

Anything his Howley Hall clubmate could do, Dan Gavins could at least match.

After Marcus Armitage won a nerve-shredding maiden European Tour event with a final round -7 to leapfrog the field in The Porsche European Open, world no 453 Gavins repeated the feat.

Starting the final day of the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland seven shots back, Gavins carded an excellent 65 to leave him sitting in the clubhouse on -13 and dependent on the closing performances of fellow Englishmen David Horsey and Jordan Smith, plus New Zealander Daniel Hiller.

Horsey seemed to have the upper hand, but stumbled down the back stretch and when he lost a ball on the 72nd hole, victory was the 30-year-old’s – along with a welcome purse of 191,640 euros.

After watching the closing stages from the practice ground on his mobile phone, the Pontefract-born Gavins, who learned his golf at Wheatley Golf Club, said: “I can’t believe it. Seven behind, I didn’t really think I was in with a chance of winning.

“I think it will take a while to sink in - what an amazing day.”

A somewhat yo-yo career mostly between the Challenge and EuroPro tours had finally matured into solid success.

Gavins went on to make the cut at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September, but further progress came at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships in early October when an excellent 6th place against a high quality field earned him over 140,000 euros.

Following the Open de Espana, he found himself elevated to 71st place on the Race to Dubai.