The 2023 D+D Real Czech Masters came down to the last putt.
England’s Todd Clements claims first DP World Tour title at Czech Masters in surreal fashion
Clements raced past the field at the 2023 D+D Czech Masters to win his first tournament on the DP World Tour.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Sitting at 22-under par, Englishman Matt Wallace, the 131st-ranked player in the world, faced an 8-footer for birdie to force a playoff with fellow Englishman Todd Clements.
It came up inches short.
Clements, who had never won on the DP World Tour before Sunday, shot a 9-under 63 to surge past the contenders and win the Czech Masters at 23-under par.
“Considering the circumstances, and with everything on the line, that’s got to be my best round of golf [I have ever played],” Clements said after the win. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Just two days shy of his 27th birthday, Clements birdied nine of his first 13 holes to soar into the lead. Although he is ranked as the 394th player in the world, he looked like one of the hottest players on the planet Sunday.
When he arrived on the 14th tee, a 439-yard par-4, the commentators began to discuss the possibility of Clements shooting a 59, which, of course is considered a ‘perfect score’ in golf.
That never crossed into Clements’ mind, however.
“Not really,” when asked if he thought about the prospects of shooting 59.
“We just [tried to execute] our plan for the day. We knew we needed a fast start, especially with the course playing soft out there. I hit some nice shots early on, which got me in the mix, but I never thought about that. We just kind of took each task at a time, and yeah, I am obviously over the moon.”
Originally from Colchester, England, about 60 miles northeast of London, Clements took advantage of the soft conditions in Prague.
Rain soaked the Albatross Golf Resort all day Sunday, which produced plenty of low scores.
Wallace carded a 5-under 67, but it proved not to be enough.
Nicolai Højgaard, the young Danish phenom, shot a 3-under 69 to finish solo third.
But it was Clements’ superb 63 that paced the field, which included plenty of European stars such as Padraig Harrington, Ludvig Aberg, and Shane Lowry.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
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