Richard Finch (golfer)

Richard Finch (born 9 July 1977) is an English professional golfer.

Richard Finch
Personal information
Born (1977-06-09) 9 June 1977 (age 47)
Hull, England
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight202 lb (92 kg; 14.4 st)
Sporting nationality England
ResidenceMere, Cheshire, England
Career
Turned professional2003
Former tour(s)European Tour
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
European Tour2
PGA Tour of Australasia1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT58: 2008

Career

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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.

Amateur wins

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Professional wins (2)

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European Tour wins (2)

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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

Results in major championships

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Tournament 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
The Open Championship T58 CUT CUT

Note: Finch only played in The Open Championship.

  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" = tied

Results in World Golf Championships

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Tournament 2008 2009
Match Play
Championship T40
Invitational T36
Champions
  Did not play

"T" = Tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Team appearances

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Amateur

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Finch claims maiden tour victory". RTE. 2 December 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  2. ^ Lynch, Robin (18 May 2008). "Finch makes a splash at Irish Open". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  3. ^ Roberts, Andy (8 July 2022). "Tiger Woods forgets Richard Finch's name in hilarious new footage". GolfMagic. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  4. ^ "European Amateur Team Championship". European Golf Association. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
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