Matteo Manassero youngest to win European Tour event

The previous youngest tour winner was New Zealand's Danny Lee, who was 18 when he triumphed at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, Australia in February 2009.

Manassero started the day two shots behind leader Gary Boyd but a red-hot homeward nine and a collapse by the Briton set up victory for the teenager.

He closed with a four-under 67 for a 16-under total of 268 to win comfortably from Spain's Ignacio Garrido (68), whose late spurt earned second place.

"It feels fantastic. I've always worked for this moment and I've finally done it," Manassero said. "I was very nervous at the start and I didn't have a great time of it from the eighth to the 11th but then I hit some great shots coming in."

The teenager, who missed a 15-inch birdie putt at the par-five eighth, strung together three successive birdies from the 13th and Englishman Boyd's sudden loss of form made the closing holes fairly simple for the youngster.

Manassero only turned professional at the Italian Open in May. "This is unbelievable, I've achieved this much earlier than I thought," he said after picking up a first prize of $466,000.

"This will open up many more doors for me next year. I couldn't imagine winning in my first year. I was just trying to make my card." The youngster from Verona is already being talked about as a young Seve Ballesteros, who exploded on the golf scene as a 17-year-old. Manassero said he was proud to be compared with Ballesteros, who won his first title at 19.

"Seve is my idol and I am conscious that the way I play makes people compare me with him," he said. "But Seve was just unique, I am a different player."

Boyd, who shot a course-record equalling 63 on Saturday, slumped to a 74 to share third place with Dutchman Joost Luiten, Ireland's Peter Lawrie and Swede Christian Nilsson at 11-under. Jose Maria Olazabal, making a rare appearance after struggling with rheumatic problems, was disqualified for signing for a five on the 17th when he had taken a six.

lGeorge Murray saw his opportunity to win Egyptian Open presented by SODIC slip from his hands after a poor putting display under pressure at the JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club.

While the Scot missed out on a second victory of the season he took considerable consolation from his prize of €16,094 that propelled him to eighth place on the Challenge Tour Rankings and cemented his place on The 2011 European Tour.Murray had taken a one-shot lead going into Saturday's final round after a blistering birdie-birdie-eagle two finish on Friday, but he was unable to repeat those heroics as he posted a level par 72 to lose out by a single stroke to Chile's Mark Tullo at the penultimate event of the European Challenge Tour season.

"At the end of the day, I have secured the card for next year by finishing in a tie for second and I should be guaranteed a top-ten finish in the rankings which is the best card you can get on the Challenge Tour," said Murray.

Murray could yet be joined in the top ten by his countryman Scott Jamieson, who carded a final round of three-under-par 69 to finish in a tie for fifth place to jump from 15th to 11th on the rankings going into next week's season-ending Apulia San Domenico Grand Final where the top 45 players do battle for 20 available European Tour cards.

BACKGROUND:

The Italian was the youngest winner of the Amateur Championship in 2009, then the youngest winner of the silver medal for the leading amateur at The Open at Turnberry.

In April 2010 became the youngest player at the US Masters, then the youngest player to make the cut, finishing in a tie for 36th place, the best result for a European amateur for 73 years.

Became the second youngest European Tour member after Seve Ballesteros, with pro debut at the Italian Open in May this year.

At 17 years and 190 days won the Castello Masters, the youngest European Tour winner, surpassing Danny Lee, of New Zealand, who won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, Australia, aged 18 years 213 days, while still an amateur.