Adri Arnaus lands home Catalunya Championship in playoff with Oliver Bekker

Adri Arnaus defeated Oliver Bekker in a six-hole play-off to win his first DP World Tour title in stunning fashion at the 2022 Catalunya Championship.



The home favourite started the day seven shots off the lead and did not look a likely winner when he turned in 34, with Bekker and Laurie Canter doing battle at the top of the leaderboard at PGA Catalunya Golf and Wellness.

What it means to win your first Tour title @AdriArnaus | #CatalunyaChampionship pic.twitter.com/hpoAhtDPUS

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But he came home in 31 with the help of an eagle on the 12th to set the target at 11 under and was left to watch Bekker, who still had a one-shot lead as Arnaus was signing his card, finish his round.



A three-putt from the South African on the 16th made it a tie as he signed for a 72 and Arnaus was heading to a third DP World Tour play-off in seven months after defeats at the 2021 Acciona Open de España presented by Madrid and March's MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood.



The five trips back up the last produced reasonably stress-free pars all-round but when they moved to the 17th for the sixth extra hole, Bekker missed the green and could not get up and down, allowing Arnaus to take the title with a par after putting his approach to six feet.



Canter finished two shots out of the play-off alongside fellow Englishman Richard McEvoy and Pole Adrian Meronk, with South African Hennie du Plessis and Italy's Edoardo Molinari at eight under.



Arnaus came into the week with five runner-up finishes on Tour - two of them on home soil - but now has a win in his 84th start and makes it back-to-back Spanish victories for the first time since 2017 after Pablo Larrazábal's triumph at last week's ISPS Handa Championship in Spain.



He also moves up to sixth on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and could move into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

"It’s a dream come true. I’ve been looking for this one for a while," said Arnaus.

"To be able to come through here, where I practice in the summers, they take care of me so well. I know the course quite well. I’ve been able to play some really good golf and to do it here is special. 

"Sometimes I cheer them on (the spectators), sometimes they cheer me on. It’s a win that we all share together because I’m sure I would not be standing here without them, without my team.

"I knew I had a low round somewhere. I’ve been playing quite well here except the back nine on the second day, but I knew the game was there. I just needed to put myself in good spots and I’ve been able to do that. Having a bogey free round says a lot. Rolled in a few putts. In the end it was just about trying to go as low as possible and see what others would do. I wasn’t really focused on what they were doing until at the end I thought ‘I might have a chance’.

"It was a long wait (for the play-off). I just tried to put a number, hopefully double digits, and I was able to do that. After that it helped a bit (to wait). I was totally calm going into the play-off. Sometimes I have felt a bit rushed in play-offs. This time I felt easy and I tried to play as if it was a play-off. It was good to come out with that mindset, a fresh start. 

"It was great, a little bit of a relief. I’ve been chasing this one for a while and I’ve been able to come through here, in my home, with my friends and family watching.

"That’s a target of mine (getting inside the top 50). This year we had a target set. I feel like I belong there, so looking forward to moving up."