Fisher breaks through with Czech Open victory

With many of Europe’s top players sitting out the week, the Czech Open figured to produce a first-time winner. That England’s Oliver Fisher would be that winner was less than obvious.

But there was Fisher holding the trophy on Sunday after a final-round 69 gave him a 13-under total and a two-shot victory over Mikael Lundberg of Sweden. The win, worth €250,000, came in the midst of a season in which Fisher had made just three cuts in 23 previous starts.

A string of three birdies on holes 7-9 gave Fisher the lead, but a trio of back-nine bogeys brought Lundberg, Gary Boyd and Steven O’Hara into the mix. Fisher steadied himself, however, with birdies on 16 and 17 to walk away the winner.

“Getting your first win is obviously special, but especially as I’ve struggled so far this season,” said Fisher, whose most recent outings saw him place 45^th at the Irish Open and 35^th at the Nordea Masters. “I went through a lot of different emotions out there today.”

Indeed, Fisher’s career has been marked by ups and downs. At age 16 he became the youngest player ever to make the Walker Cup. Since turning pro in 2006, however, he’s never finished higher than 51^st in the European Tour’s Road to Dubai standings.

Of course, he’s still just 22 years old. “Hopefully this is the start of big things for me,” Fisher said.

Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) fired a final-round 66 to take third outright, with England’s Boyd alone in fourth.