World No. 133 Andrea Pavan secured his second European Tour title after beating Matthew Fitzpatrick at the second extra hole of the BMW International Open in Germany, the Italian booking his place in the playoff following a bogey-free 6-under-par 32-34=66 which lifted him to 15-under 273.
Both contenders made par 5s on their first return to 18 but after a buggy ride back to the tee to try again, Pavan grabbed victory thanks to a superb shot from the left rough to two feet, Fitzpatrick unable to match his kick-in birdie. The pair finished two in front of defending champion Matt Wallace, Alvaro Quiros, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matthias Schwab, Edoardo Molinari, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and overnight leader Jordan Smith. Four back and tied ninth at start of play, Pavan moved to the turn in 32 with birdies at 1, 5, 6 and 9. After a run of pars, he added late circles at 16 and 18 to post a number which only Fitzpatrick could match. This victory is his second in less than 12 months following his two-shot victory at last Augusta’s Czech Masters with 22-under.