Slattery bags Russian win

Lee Slattery claimed a second European Tour win after clinching the M2M Russian Open by one stroke on Sunday.

The Englishman, whose only previous title came back in 2011 in the Bankia Madrid Masters, held a slender advantage heading into the final day but he managed to extend this lead straight away by birdieing the first hole.

However, two bogeys at the second and sixth heaped the pressure on the 27-year-old as the rest of the field drew closer but three birdies on the back nine helped Slattery over the finish line.

The champion carded a two-under-par 69 on the final round to finish the tournament on -15, just one stroke ahead of second-placed Estanislao Goya, who was three-under on Sunday.

Slattery is now expected to break into the top 200 in the world and the Englishman has revealed his relief at picking up his first title in almost four years.

“It has been a difficult year so it’s just nice to be able to finish the year off like this, with a win, knowing that I can plan next year now and hopefully get myself going again to where I belong,” he said.

“The thing that has been letting me down most has probably been my short game in the last few months so I’ve worked so hard at that and to chip one in at such an important time meant so much and it shows that practice pays off eventually.”

Defending champion David Horsey, who recently won the Made in Denmark tournament, finished in third-place on -13 after shooting a three-under-par 68.

Tagged European Tour, Lee Slattery, Russian Open