Richard_Finch_(golfer)
Richard Finch (golfer)
English professional golfer
Richard Finch (born 9 July 1977) is an English professional golfer.
| Richard Finch | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1977-06-09) 9 June 1977 (age 46) Hull, England |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 202 lb (92 kg; 14.4 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  England |
| Residence | Mere, Cheshire, England |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2003 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour |
| Professional wins | 2 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 2 |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T58: 2008 |
Finch played on the European Tour, where he had been a member since 2005. He earned his card through Qualifying School in 2004. In his rookie season, he finished 60th on the Order of Merit, but missed out on the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award, which went to Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño instead. His best finish in 2005 was as joint runner-up in the Telecom Italia Open.
Finch picked up his first professional win at the 2007 Michael Hill New Zealand Open. He shot a 14-under-par total of 274 (73-65-64-72) to win the tournament by three shots.[1] In May 2008, Finch won the Irish Open at Adare Manor. On the final hole of the tournament, his second shot on the par-5 18th finished on the bank of the river. While playing his third shot, he lost his balance and fell into the water.[2] This moment garnered much attention due to the comedic nature of the event. In July 2022, at the J. P. McManus Pro-Am, Tiger Woods reminisced about the incident in a pre-round interview. However he incorrectly cited Finch's first name as being Robert.[3]
Since 2008 his best finishes have been as runner-up; in the 2010 Avantha Masters, the 2010 Open de Andalucía de Golf, the 2011 Nordea Scandinavian Masters and the 2013 Alfred Dunhill Championship.
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Dec 2007 (2008 season) |
Michael Hill New Zealand Open1 | −14 (73-65-64-72=274) | 3 strokes |  Steven Bowditch, Paul Sheehan |
| 2 | 18 May 2008 | Irish Open | −10 (71-72-65-70=278) | 2 strokes |  Felipe Aguilar |
1Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia
| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T58 | CUT | CUT |
Note: Finch only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" = tied
| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Match Play | ||
| Championship | T40 | |
| Invitational | T36 | |
| Champions |
"T" = Tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Amateur
- European Amateur Team Championship (representing England): 2003[4]
- "Finch claims maiden tour victory". RTE. 2 December 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- Lynch, Robin (18 May 2008). "Finch makes a splash at Irish Open". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- Roberts, Andy (8 July 2022). "Tiger Woods forgets Richard Finch's name in hilarious new footage". GolfMagic. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- "European Amateur Team Championship". European Golf Association. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- Richard Finch at the European Tour official site
- Richard Finch at the Official World Golf Ranking official site