Northwestern University Athletics
2011 Alum David Lipsky Earns Maiden European Tour Victory
9/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
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CRANS MONTANA, Switzerland -- 2010 Big Ten champion and 2011 Northwestern graduate David Lipsky earned his maiden victory on the European Tour Sunday by defeating Graeme Storm in a playoff to win the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.
"It feels great," said Lipsky. "I've played well the last couple of weeks and to put it all together is really something special."
With the breakthrough win, Lipsky earns his European Tour card and a two-year exemption on the circuit. He shot rounds of 67-64-66-65 to finish at 18-under 262. In his final round, Lipsky recorded a tap-in eagle at the drive-able par-4 seventh hole and then, needing a birdie at the 72nd, he nearly holed his approach for another tap-in that tied the lead.
In the playoff against Storm, Lipsky found a fairway bunker while Storm's drive veered right into trouble, forcing him to pitch back into the fairway. Now playing for par, Lipsky hit his second shot way left of the green into the rough to avoid a greenside hazard and give himself a better angle at the hole.
"Never in a million years did I see that as an option, but Lipsky has done exactly what he wanted to do," said the Golf Channel commentator of the strategy. From there, Lipsky's deft short game earned under years of tutelage with Northwestern Director of Golf Pat Goss took over. Lipsky pitched out of the rough to just over a foot and rolled home the par putt for the win.
"David Lipsky's short game is as good as Luke Donald's," Goss tweeted after Lipsky's win.
An All-American for the Wildcats in 2011, Lipsky turned professional immediately upon graduating with a degree in political science. The La Cañada, Calif., native attended the 2012 Asian Tour Q school, which he won to earn his card before capturing the 2012 HANDA FALDO Cambodian Classic a few months later with a chip-in victory in a playoff. Lipsky finished 11th on the 2012 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
In 2013, Lipsky played both the Asian and Web.com Tours before returning to the Asian Tour in 2014. In May, Lipsky finished runner-up in another Asian and European Tour co-sponsored event, the Championship at Laguna National. He has played in each of the last four European Tour events beginning with the Made in Denmark, earning finishes of 15th, 19th and 24th before Sunday's victory.
With his victory in the co-sponsored Omega European Masters, Lipsky now stands atop the Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2014, as well.
Lipsky joins fellow Northwestern alum and former World No. 1 Luke Donald as a member of the European Tour. Elsewhere in the professional ranks, Scott Harrington (2003) and Chris Wilson (2007) are members of the Web.com Tour, with Wilson advancing to the 2014 Web.com playoffs. Sam Chien (2012) currently is third on the PGA Tour China money list; the top five players at the end of the season earn full Web.com Tour cards for 2015.
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