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Rocca Wins West Of Ireland


Italy's Costantino Rocca shot a 2-under 70 for a two-stroke victory Sunday in the West of Ireland Classic, keeping alive his slim hopes of making the European Ryder Cup team.

Rocca finished with at 12-under 276, two shots ahead of Ireland's Padraig Harrington of Ireland, who closed with a par-72.

Rocca, with his first win on the European Tour in two years, still could make the Ryder Cup team as a wild-card pick with another good tournament this week in the BMW International in Munich.

Rocca is a veteran of three Ryder Cups and beat Tiger Woods in a crucial matches two years ago in Valderrama, Spain.

The key moment in the final round came when Harrington, who could also still make the Ryder team, took six on the par-5 16th, a hole that was yielding birdies all week.

That gave Rocca a one-shot lead going down the stretch as he finished with a 40-foot birdie putt to seal victory.

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