STENSON'S DOUBLE WHAMMY EARNS THE SWEDE $11.4million

 

                      A CUP OF JOY FOR HENRIK STENSON 

Round 4 Recap: TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola

In the final round of the US PGA Tour Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club, Henrik Stenson shot a 2-under 68, winning the tournament and the FedExCup.

 FROM THE US PGA TOUR.COM WEBSITE

ATLANTA -- Sweden's Henrik Stenson knows better than most players how it feels to go from the depths of a slump to the elite in golf.
He's done it twice now.

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And the second time was sweeter -- and richer -- than ever.
Not even among the top 200 players in the world two years ago, Stenson capped off the best three months of his career with a command performance Sunday in the US PGA Tour Championship by Coca-Cola to earn his second victory of the FedExCup Playoffs and win golf's biggest prize -- the FedExCup.
With a birdie to thwart a late charge by Jordan Spieth, followed by three pars from the sand, the 37-year-old Swede closed with a 2-under 68 on Sunday for a three-shot victory at East Lake.
"It shows that I never give up," said Stenson, who also moves to No. 4 in the world. "This is way beyond what I could have imagined."
Even with a four-shot lead, the final round was a battle. There were two trophies on display on the first tee. He knew he could still win the FedExCup even if he didn't win the Tour Championship. Ultimately, he figured good golf would take care of everything, and it did.
Stenson became the first player to win the US Tour Championship wire-to-wire with no ties since Tom Watson in 1987, the first year of this 30-man showcase.
Spieth made him work for it.
The 20-year-old Texan left one last impression on his remarkable rookie season by running off four straight birdies on the back nine at East Lake to pull within one shot after Stenson went well over the 14th green and made his last bogey.
Stenson could hear the cheers and knew what he faced over the last four holes.
"I'm not just a pretty face. I can put 1-and-1 together," the Swede said with his dry humour.
He drilled a 3-wood onto the fairway on the par-5 15th that set up an 8-foot birdie. Ahead of him on the 17th, Spieth was between clubs and chose to hammer a 9-iron that he caught heavy enough that it plugged in the front bunker. He made bogey and had to settle for a 64.
"I was just looking up and seeing that I needed more instead of being satisfied with what happened," Spieth said of his four straight birdies.
Spieth wound up No. 7 in the FedExCup, the highest ever for a rookie, which is even more impressive, considering he started the year without status on any tour.
The last challenge came from Steve Stricker, who rolled in an eagle putt on the 15th hole to get within two. Stricker saved par behind the 16th green, and then missed two birdie chances from about 18 feet on the last two holes for a 65. He tied for second with Spieth.
Stricker didn't realise that making any of those last two putts would have been worth an extra $1 million for finishing second in the FedExCup. He only cared about winning, knowing he needed birdies and for Stenson to make a mistake.
"I knew the putt meant a lot. I didn't know it meant that much," he said with a smile. He finished third in the FedExCup and received a $2 million bonus.
Stenson, who finished at 13-under 267, became the first European to win the Tour Championship and the FedExCup. He walked away with $11.44 million -- $10 million for the FedExCup ($9 million of that in cash) and $1.44 million for winning the Tour Championship.
His amazing summer began with a tie for third in the Scottish Open. Stenson followed with a runner-up at the British Open and the World Golf Championships-Bridgeston Invitational, third place at the PGA Championship and a win at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
"Obviously, the work was done before," Stenson said. "It's not like I woke up in the middle of July and played fantastic."
The Tout Championship was his second win in three tournaments of the FedExCup Playoffs.
"Since the Scottish Open, it's been just an incredible run," he said. "I'm speechless. It was a tough day out there. To hang in there the way I did, I'm really satisfied. ... It hasn't quite sunk in yet. I had to fight hard mentally to keep all this aside, and I managed to do that. It's going to feel better as the week goes on. I'm pretty sure about that."

FEDEXCUP

Henrik Stenson completed a fantastic run when he claimed the FedExCup at East Lake. Standings
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Tiger Woods, the No. 1 seed going into the TOUR Championship, never recovered from his 73-71 start. He closed with a 67 to tie for 22nd, his worst finish ever at East Lake, and wound up second in the FedExCup. That still was worth a $3 million bonus.
Woods wrapped up the PGA of America's points-based award for player of the year, and he captured the US PGA Tour money title and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring title. 
Next up is a vote of the players for  US PGA Tour Player of the Year. Tiger is the heavy favourite with five wins this year including a victory at TPC Sawgrass in The Players' Championship
The award is to be announced on Friday.
For much of the day, no one got closer to Stenson than three shots, and he answered that early challenge with an 8-iron to an elevated green to 2 feet for birdie at No. 7. The Tour Championship came to life in the final hour, though, thanks to the youngest player in the field.
Fearless as ever, Spieth began a run of birdies starting on the 13th hole that not only moved him into second place, it put pressure on Stenson not to drop any shots. Stenson's only bogey came on the 14th, when he caught a flyer over the green and missed a 20-foot putt.
"Henrik obviously was playing phenomenal golf," Spieth said. "I felt like once a few putts started falling, we have a shot at it."
Webb Simpson had the low round of the tournament with a 63 to finish fourth.
Stenson, who only last week smashed a driver and his locker at the BMW Championship out of frustration brought on by playing so much golf, finally gets a break. He was headed to his home in Orlando for a four-week break before returning in Shanghai.
Next up: A chance to become the first player to win the FedExCup on the US PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour in the same season.
 
LEADING FINAL TOTALS WITH SUNDAY ROUNDS
Par 280 (4x70)
267 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 68
270 Jordan Spieth (US) 64, Steve Stricker (US) 64.
271 Webb Simpson (US)( 63
272 Dustin Johnson (US) 69
273 Justin Rose (England) 67.

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LANARKSHIRE SCORE TWO WINS IN WEST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUE

REPORT FROM WILLIE SHARPE

Lanarkshire A team won 4.5-3.5 at Cowglen today against Glasgow in the West of Scotland League. 

The home team were in the ascendancy after nine holes but comebacks by Jamie Lamb and Steven Rennie from three down to one hole victories swung the match in Lanarkshire’s favour.

RESULTS

Glasgow players named first

Jamie Savage (Cawder) lost to Craig Ross (Kirkhill) 2 and 1.

George Burns (Williamwood) lost to Steven Rennie (Drumpellier) 1 hole 

Stephen Machin (Cowglen) bt Ross Hinshelwood (East Kilbride) 1 hole.

Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) lost to Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle) 5 and 4.Andy Fairbairn (Cawder) bt Dominic Dougan (Airdrie) 3 and 2.
Stuart  Black (Cathcart) lost to Jamie Lamb (Lanark) 1 hole.
David Curtis  (Cathkin) bt Scott Douglas (Strathclyde Park) 1 hole.

Craig Morrison (Haggs  Castle) halved with Kenny Gallacher (East Kilbride)      

OTHER RESULT:

GLASGOW YOUTHS 2.5, LANARKSHIRE YOUTHS 5.5

Glasgow players named first

C Anderson lost to A Steven 5 and 4.
B Dalgliesh bt S McBride    1 hole

P Loughlin lost to C Connacher   5/3

B Cooper halved with  R Livingstone

K Kilroy lost to K McVicar 2 and 1.

R Douglas lost to A Robertson 3 and 2.

J Monaghan bt J Donaldson 7 and 5.

C Lynch lost to D Murray 5 and 3.   

Next week Lanarkshire A  host  Stirlingshire A at Hamilton and Lanarkshire Y-Team travel to Kilsyth Lennox.

Willie Sharpe     Past President  LGA 

    

GB AND I FINISH WITH A FLOURISH TO TIE USA IN PGA CUP

   The GB and I team at De Vere Slaley Hall, Northumberland

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE PGA
Great Britain and Ireland captain Russell Weir hailed his ‘phenomenal’ PGA Cup team after they came close to staging one of the greatest comebacks ever seen in team golf at De Vere Slaley Hall, Northumberland today.
The Scot, who spent Saturday afternoon in Hexham hospital after feeling unwell, masterminded a stunning 7.5-2.5 singles victory in the Sunday finale to tie the match 13-13 overall with the United States.
It was sufficient for Allen Wronowski’s US team to retain the Llandudno Trophy - as cup holders, but it was Weir’s GB and I players who carried the broader smiles at the climax of a riveting afternoon session of match play golf over the Hunting Course, which saw them end a run of three defeats in the biennial contest.
Singles Sunday at Slaley Hall will live long in the memory of those that fought, masterminded and witnessed a day in which GB and I and put their transatlantic cousins to the sword.
When Nick Brennan’s victory brought play on 10 enthralling matches to a close, the destination of the silverware played second fiddle to a jubilant GB and I team that very nearly produced the comeback of all comebacks, and that includes the "Miracle at Medinah" in the Ryder Cup..
On the eve of battle, the scenario was hardly one of joy for team GB and I. They lay five points adrift of a US team that needed ‘just’ two and half points to retain the cup and three to win, while their captain was taken to hospital after feeling unwell.
Given the situation, the talk was of ‘Medinah’ and a repeat of the miracle that would see this band of rookies somehow emulate their Ryder Cup counterparts. A "mere" eight points from 10 were needed.
“I said to Russell on the first tee I’m going to go out and make it as easy for you as possible,” was Richard Wallis’ words of comfort to their leader, while Graham Fox confirmed, “Russell being back on the tee gave us a big lift.”
The big guns had been loaded up with Benn Barham, Richard Wallis, Greig Hutcheon and Scott Henderson out in the first four matches.
Within half hour Barham and Wallis had posted blue on the board in their respective matches with Mike Small and Bob Sowards.
Hutcheon, who scored two points on Saturday, battled being under the weather against Kelly Mitchum, no doubt spurred on after seeing his 100 per cent record ended by the Scot the previous day.
It proved a close tussle, which fell the way of the American, 2&1, to leave the US just one and half points from victory.
However, with the rest team out on the course, the leaderboards were a sea of blue with Gareth Wright, Fox, Dan Greenwood, Brennan and Jon Barnes all registering early gains.
The miracle was on…though erring on the side of caution was required in heaps.
Scott Henderson began to give hope to believe. In his head-to-head with J C Anderson he clawed back from two down with three to play to level with one to play.
Sensing the enormity, the Aberdonian targeted the pin and pulled a shot out of the bag that saw the golfing gods shine on him as it went between the branches of a pine tree to nestle 10 feet from the pin just off the back of the green.
His delicate chip back skirted the hole, drawing gasps from the crowd, aware it would have won the match. Instead the point was split and there was no margin for error for the remaining six out on the course.
“It was do or die as I had put myself in that position,” said Henderson on his grandstand finish.
“I was disappointed with myself as I had it blue as well and when it went back to red I felt I was letting everybody else down.
“I had to roll a good putt for a half on 15 to stop going three down with three to go. I birdied 16 and 17 and had a chip at the last from 10 feet and I knew I needed to hole that as he had a great up and down for his par. I’m happy to get half.”
As Henderson battled to the last, countryman Fox had brought his match to close with a dominant 3-2 display over Rod Perry.
A triumphant Fox said: “I don’t think anybody would have beaten me today, five birdies, no dropped shots and anytime I had a tricky par putt it was in so I didn’t give him any leeway at all.”
Scotland-based Welshman Wright knocked aside Jeff Sorensen 2 and 1, while the final two matches were also weighted in favour of GB and I and neither Brennan nor Barnes were in the mood to surrender.
All eyes focused on Greenwood and Callaway, with both of them having to avoid defeat.
Greenwood had led after the first but from then on had always been chasing Dobyns who maintained a slender one hole lead. At 17, Greenwood drew level and for the third time in four matches was going the down the last.
But as he did, the PGA Cup was lost as news filtered in that Callaway had lost 3 and 2 to Ryan Polzin. Ironically, Barnes had despatched Mark Sheftic 3 and 2 to maintain the winning momentum in the side.
The focus now was firmly on Greenwood, who overcame an awkward approach to land on the fringe of the green, while Dobyns’ approach missed the green hit the buggy path and required a ruling before being able to play.
The resulting chip left Dobyns a lot to do, while Greenwood’s first putt was five foot short. Standing over his ball a second time, he held his nerve and watched it fall into the cup, much to delight of his watching team-mates.
“The two putts on the 18^th, this one and the one last night, have just got to be the scariest putts I’ve ever holed,” said Greenwood.
“I was just trying to do my bit. It was a good match. We stayed pretty close together all the way through. There were not many birdies but a lot of good shots. I totally get what this tournament is about now.”
As the hordes celebrated, it was announced that Brennan had seen off Chip Sullivan 3 and 2 to secure a tie for GB&I, as they wrapped up the singles 7.5 to 2.5.
“Today proved we’re as good, if not better than the Americans individually, we just need to figure out a way to get the team events and get some more points on the board,” said Brennan.
“We said we needed eight points and eight from 10 in a big ask. Seven and half is also a big ask but we said let’s get at them and see what happens and see how they cope with the one-on-one thing under the cosh. This feels like a victory for us.”
  

THIRD AND FINAL DAY RESULTS
Sunday Singles (7 1/2-2 1/2)
GB and I players first
Benn Barham bt Mike Small 5 and 3
Richard Wallis bt Bob Sowards 3 and 2
Greig Hutcheon lost to Kelly Mitchum 2 and 1.
Scott Henderson halved with J C Anderson
Gareth Wright bt Jeff Sorenson 2 and 1.
Graham Fox bt Rod Perry 3 and 2.
Dan Greenwood bt Matt Dobyns 1 hole.
David Callaway lost to Ryan Polzin 3 and 2
Nick Brennan bt Chip Sullivan 3 and 2.
Jon Barnes bt Mark Sheftic 3 and 2.

RESULT
GB and Ireland 13, United States 13


Visit www.PGA.info for more information on the PGA Cup and all PGA tournaments

 

FRENCHMAN QUESNE COMES HOME IN 31 FOR EURO TOUR VICTORY

REPORT BY MICHAEL GIBBONS
A brilliant back nine 31, including three birdies in his closing four holes, saw Julien Quesne claim the 70° Open d’Italia Lindt at Golf Club Torino for his second European Tour title.

The Frenchman began the day four shots off the lead and looked out of contention when he ran up a double-bogey six on the second, but birdied the fourth and sixth and then stormed home in 31. 

The 33 year old picked up shots at the tenth, 11th and 15th before chipping in from short of the 17th green and holing from six feet for another birdie on the last to complete a closing 67.

That set the clubhouse target on 12 under par just moments before overnight leader Marcus Fraser, who was also 12 under, three-putted the 15th and dropped another shot on the par three 16th after missing the green from the tee. 

Fraser eventually signed for a 74 to finish joint eighth on nine under, leaving Ireland's David Higgins and England's Steve Webster to share second on 11 under.

Higgins had birdied the 18th to match playing partner Webster's closing 68, the 2005 champion having threatened to claim the title again when he holed from 60 feet across the 17th green. 

Quesne, whose previous win came in the Open de Andalucía last year, said: "I am very proud of this back nine. My attitude was very good this week and I think this is the key. To enjoy a second win on The European Tour is like a dream for me.

"After my double bogey I just kept calm. I was thinking the winner would be 15 under and I was only five under. I thought 'just keep working and we will see what happens'. 

"I am surprised to be here. The flags were very difficult all week so it was very difficult to make birdies and easy to make some bogeys."

The victory lifts Quesne to 41st on The Race to Dubai with the top 60 qualifying for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72)

 

276 J Quesne  (Fra) 70 68 71 67

277 S Webster (Eng) 67 69 73 68, D Higgins (Irl) 67 69 73 68,

278 N Colsaerts  (Bel) 65 71 70 72, E Grillo (Arg) 70 72 68 68, F Aguilar (Chi) 69 66 72 71, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 73 67 71 67,

279 A Quiros  (Esp) 71 67 73 68, S Benson (Eng) 68 70 72 69, M Fraser (Aus) 66 71 68 74, R Wattel  (Fra) 71 72 66 70, R Derksen (Ned) 71 69 71 68, H Otto (RSA) 71 67 70 71,

280 E Kofstad (Nor) 70 69 73 68, M Kieffer (Ger) 65 72 72 71,

281 F Zanotti (Par) 71 70 69 71, S Thornton (Irl) 68 67 72 74, D Horsey (Eng) 72 70 73 66, F Molinari (Ita) 68 67 71 75, M Foster (Eng) 74 65 71 71, J Van Zyl (RSA) 70 69 71 71, M Madsen  (Den) 72 71 70 68

282 M Tullo (Chi) 70 70 74 68, D Drysdale (Sco) 69 72 71 70, C Doak (Sco) 74 67 69 72, S Hend (Aus) 72 71 66 73, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 69 72 68 73, S Jamieson  (Sco) 72 69 70 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 71 68 72 71, J Lagergren (Swe) 72 67 67 76, J Campillo (Esp) 68 73 70 71

283 R Gonzalez (Arg) 65 73 70 75, M Carlsson  (Swe) 72 71 68 72, S Wakefield (Eng) 70 73 68 72, M Korhonen (Fin) 70 70 73 70, O Floren  (Swe) 71 72 71 69, R Allenby (Aus) 71 72 70 70,

284 G Fdez-Castaño  (Esp) 71 70 73 70, T Aiken (RSA) 69 71 74 70, A Cañizares  (Esp) 71 67 72 74, R Paratore (am) (Ita) 72 66 71 75,

285 M Manassero (Ita) 70 70 69 76, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 72 73 69, M Nixon (Eng) 70 69 74 72, A Levy (Fra) 70 72 72 71, G Orr (Sco) 73 68 72 72,

286 J Ruth  (Eng) 69 72 73 72, J Kingston (RSA) 68 71 75 72, J Edfors (Swe) 69 70 71 76, B Åkesson (Swe) 72 69 75 70, R Finch  (Eng) 68 74 69 75, S Dyson  (Eng) 69 74 72 71,

287 D Howell (Eng) 71 72 72 72, J Hansen  (Den) 68 74 70 75, A Tadini (Ita) 72 71 71 73, S Khan (Eng) 73 70 71 73, K Broberg (Swe) 70 73 70 74, G Mulroy (RSA) 71 72 72 72

288 J Lucquin (Fra) 71 72 74 71, L Slattery (Eng) 70 73 71 74, T Lewis (Eng) 70 72 75 71, G Boyd  (Eng) 74 69 74 71, D McGrane (Irl) 71 69 76 72, A Hartø  (Den) 69 74 71 74, R Ramsay  (Sco) 75 68 70 75,

289 R Goosen (RSA) 70 72 74 73, P Whiteford (Sco) 73 68 74 74, J Walters (RSA) 70 73 71 75, M Grönberg (Swe) 71 70 73 75,

290 J Olazábal (Esp) 71 68 74 77,

291 R McEvoy  (Eng) 73 70 73 75,

292 E Goya (Arg) 69 72 80 71,

293 G Storm  (Eng) 70 71 73 79,

294 E Lipparelli (am) (Ita) 69 73 78 74,

299 P Erofejeff (Fin) 74 69 77 79

 

Michael Gibbons

Deputy Chief Press Officer

European Tour

 

KRIS NICOL MAKES TOP TEN IN ALPS TOUR EVENT

Fraserburgh's Kris Nicol finished joint seventh and earned 1,320 Euros in the weekend's Alps Tour event in France, the Open  International du Haut Poit at Golf du Haut Poitou.
But the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre player will be rueing a triple bogey 7 at the 15th in Saturday's second round. Had he parred that hole, Nicol would have finished fourth and earned around 2,000 Euros.
David Bobroski (France) beat Lukac Nemecz (Austria) for the 5,800 Euros first prize in a play-off after they had tied on eight-under 211.

Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy) from Ellon and John Henry (Clydebank and District) missed the Saturday cut on 151 and 152 respectively.
Cameron shot 78-73 and Henry 78-74.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

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2014 RACE TO THE RYDER CUP WILL END AT ITALIAN OPEN

NEWS RFLEASE FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR

The European Tour has today confirmed that the quest to qualify for Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup team will conclude at the Italian Open on Sunday, August 31 next year. 

The tournament – which has been a fixture on the schedule since the inception of The European Tour in 1972 and which has seen some of the greatest names in the history of the game lift the title – will bring the curtain down on the race for the nine automatic places in Captain Paul McGinley’s team for Gleneagles; the first four coming from the European Points List with the remaining five coming from the World Points List.

Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony of the 70° Italian Open LINDT this afternoon, where Julien Quesne lifted the title, Italian Golf Federation President Franco Chimenti spoke of his nation’s delight that the 2014 Italian Open will be the last qualifying event.

He said: “This is a great boost for the Italian Open, and we are already counting down to what I am sure will be a very exciting week both for Italian golf and for The Ryder Cup. Of course, it would also be very special if we were able to welcome some of our own players to the team next year to follow in the footsteps of Costantino Rocca and Francesco and Edoardo Molinari.”

McGinley, who will be joined in Scotland over the next two days by US Captain Tom Watson to take part in the celebrations to mark a Year To Go to The 2014 Ryder Cup, said: “All along the journey to The Ryder Cup there are significant milestones, and the tournament where the points race will conclude is a major one of those.

“The Italian Open is steeped in history and is one of the great championships on The European Tour, and I look forward to being in Italy when the nine automatic qualifiers are determined.”

McGinley will name his three wild card selections the following day – Monday September 1, 2014 – with the venue for that announcement being confirmed at a later date.

Francesco Molinari, who has been a part of Europe’s last two Ryder Cup teams that triumphed in Wales in 2010 and the USA in 2012, welcomed the announcement.

He said: “It’s great news for the Italian Open. You only have to look at how successful the tournament has been this week, and hopefully The Ryder Cup Points finishing here will add to its profile. There is a long way to go, but it would be pretty special to qualify for the team at the Italian Open – that is certainly the goal.”

 

 

 

 

PETER FOWLER CATCHES ANDREW OLDCORN TO WIN IN FRANCE

d report and scores from the French Riviera Masters in your respective publications with immediate effect. The attached image of Peter Fowler may also be used in conjunction with this release only and must be credited to © Getty Images.

 

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Peter Fowler claimed his first European Senior Tour victory for more than two years with a remarkable turnaround in the French Riviera Masters, coming from four shots back at the start of the final round to win by three strokes at Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort.

The Australian took little time in overturning Andrew Oldcorn’s overnight advantage, catching the Scot by the sixth hole after Oldcorn started with three bogeys in his opening five holes.

Fowler began with three pars and a birdie on the fourth, before both players picked up a shot the sixth hole to share the lead on seven under par.

However, contrasting fortunes were ahead for the pair as Fowler posted back-to-back birdies on the next two holes, while Oldcorn ran into trouble on the eighth, carding a double bogey six after first finding the fairway bunker and then obstruction behind a tree. 

That meant an eight shot swing in just eight holes and thereafter Fowler exerted his control over the tournament, birdieing the tenth and 11^th holes to give himself breathing space at the top of the leaderboard.

He adopted a more cautious approach on the back nine in order to protect his advantage, carding seven consecutive pars on the way in for a six under par round of 66 and a winning total of 11 under par 205.

“Wins aren’t easy to come by so it is always special to get one,” said the 54 year old, who has battled back and knee problems over the past four seasons. “I’ve worked hard for this so it feels good.

“It is hard to win because there are so many good players on this Tour, like Andrew. I thought he was going to win today as it is hard to pull back a four stroke lead, so I just tried to play my own game.

“Fortunately, I got a good run on the front nine and then Andy struggled so I managed to get ahead. It’s never a foregone conclusion – I’ve only had three wins on this Tour, but I’ve worked so hard and it’s nice to take this chance.”

Fowler’s last Senior Tour triumph came at the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in 2011, the year he topped the Order of Merit courtesy of two victories and 11 other top ten finishes.

After jumping from 11^th to second on this year’s money list, the 54 year old now has a realistic chance of repeating that success and reclaiming the John Jacobs Trophy he won two years ago.

The first prize of €60,000 means he is now just €11,929 behind Englishman Paul Wesselingh on the Order of Merit with four events remaining.

“Paul has been playing very well all year and very consistently, so it would take some doing to catch him, but I’m really happy that I’ve got this win and moved up close to him,” he said.

To his credit, Oldcorn battled back from his difficult start, carding birdies on the ninth, 11^th and 17^th holes to sign for a one over par 73.

That was good enough for a share of second position – his second joint runner up finish in three weeks after closing 61 in the WINSTONgolf Senior Open - alongside Spaniard Santiago Luna, winner of the SSE Scottish Senior Open last month, who posted a superb 66 to also finish eight under par. 

For Oldcorn, it was further frustration at the hands of Fowler, having finished runner up to him for all three of the Australian’s Senior Tour wins. He has also been second seven times now overall on the Senior Tour.

“I’m sick of the sight of Peter,” joked Oldcorn. “That’s all three times now that he has won and I’ve finished second. I shot myself in foot early on. I was too tentative at the beginning, exactly what I thought I wouldn’t be, and I made a mistake on the very first hole.

“It was hard to recover from that, as well as Peter played. There was an eight shot swing on the front nine. I dug in there and kept going but I struggled with my swing. I’m hugely disappointed. Peter played well and he never missed a putt all day, so all credit to him.”

Japan’s Katsuyoshi Tomori fired a seven under par 65 to finish fourth on seven under par, while former World Number One and Masters Champion Ian Woosnam closed with a 67 to finish in a share of fifth position with England’s Philip Golding (70) and New Zealand’s Greg Turner (69) on six under par. 

  FINAL TOTALS (Par 216: 3 x 72)

205 P Fowler (Aus) 68 71 66

208 S Luna (Esp) 73 69 66, A Oldcorn (Sco) 67 68 73

209 K Tomori (Jpn) 70 74 65

210 P Golding (Eng) 68 72 70, I Woosnam (Wal) 72 71 67, G Turner (Nzl) 72 69 69

211 C Williams (RSA) 70 69 72, P Wesselingh (Eng) 72 68 71,

212 B Cameron (Eng) 71 71 70, J Carriles (Esp) 72 71 69, M Martin (Esp) 68 73 71, A Franco (Par) 70 70 72, G Manson (Aut) 73 71 68

213 M Kuramoto (Jpn) 72 72 69

214 J Pate (USA) 73 71 70

215 S Brown (Eng) 73 69 73, T Elliott (Aus) 70 72 73, S Van Vuuren (RSA) 72 75 68, J Bruner (USA) 71 72 72,

216 D O'Sullivan (Irl) 75 72 69, L Carbonetti (Arg) 67 73 76, R Sabarros (Fra) 74 75 67

217 J Gould (Eng) 74 74 69, R Thompson (USA) 72 76 69, C Rocca (Ita) 71 75 71,

 218 S Tinning (Den) 70 75 73, M Harwood (Aus) 75 73 70, P Mitchell (Eng) 72 75 71, R Gibson (Can) 75 74 69, A Fernandez (Chi) 74 74 70,

 219 D Russell (Eng) 75 70 74, G Norquist (USA) 74 75 70, P Curry (Eng) 77 68 74, M McLean (Eng) 74 71 74,

 220 P Jonas (Can) 72 74 74, G Brand Jnr (Sco) 72 74 74, A Sherborne (Eng) 73 71 76, G Ryall (Eng) 75 73 72, P Linhart (Esp) 73 78 69,

 221 G Ralph (Eng) 71 76 74, B Longmuir (Sco) 73 76 72, N Job (Eng) 74 72 75, T Thelen (USA) 75 75 71,

 222 J Rivero (Esp) 81 69 72, M Cunning (USA) 73 73 76, M Farry (Fra) 73 74 75,

 223 G Wolstenholme (Eng) 74 75 74, D Hospital (Esp) 77 76 70, T Price (Aus) 72 78 73,

 224 S Cipa (Eng) 74 75 75, D James (Sco) 76 75 73,

 225 J Quiros (Esp) 74 82 69, S McAllister (Sco) 73 76 76, P Walton (Irl) 72 78 75, K Spurgeon (Eng) 77 74 74, R Drummond (Sco) 76 76 73,

 226 J Harrison (Eng) 75 77 74, G Brand (Eng) 77 75 74,

 227 G Banister (Aus) 76 77 74, J Sallat (Fra) 82 68 77,

 228 J Laforce (Can) 78 74 76,

 229 D Smyth (Irl) 75 79 75,

 230 D Durnian (Eng) 76 75 79, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 78 77 75, H Buhrmann (RSA) 75 76 79,

 231 W Grant (Eng) 78 74 79,

 233 P Way (Eng) 72 76 85,

 234 S Bennett (Eng) 78 80 76,

 235 M Piñero (Esp) 76 80 79,

 240 M Bembridge (Eng) 81 82 77,

 257 A Garrido (Esp) 84 83 90,

 

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

DUNCAN STEWART CLINCHES RUNNER-UP FINIZH IN KAZAKHSTAN

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Duncan Stewart claimed the best finish of his European Challenge Tour career at the lucrative Kazakhstan Open, despite a bogey at the final hole which meant he had to share second place with two others, seven back from runaway winner Johan Carlsson of Sweden.

The result elevated Stewart from 40^th position in the Challenge Tour Rankings to 14^th and inside the cut-line for a European Tour card while also securing his place in the final three events of the season in China, Oman and Dubai.

Stewart was just off the green at the 18^th and, needing a par to finish on 12 under in outright second, his disappointing chip fell 12 feet short before he rolled the resultant putt to the left of the cup to settle for a level par 72 and an aggregate total of 11 under par.

While the over-riding emotion in the wake of the finale at Nurtau Golf Club was disappointment, the Grantown-on-Spey man knows that it was a huge result and the €32,000 (£26,742.44) could go a long way in securing a rapid rise to the top tier of European golf in his rookie season on the Challenge Tour.

“I can’t complain with the result but when you’re on the fairway at the last you can’t be making bogey,” said the 29 year old. “I didn’t actually play that bad. I had two stupid holes but to be honest I wouldn’t go back and change any shots that I hit.

“At the end of the day we were always playing for second but I had a chance to get it by myself going down the last. You have to take those opportunities when they’re there.

“If somebody said to me at the start of the week I had to take tied second, of course I would, but I lost a lot of money on the last, which would almost have been enough to guarantee my European Tour card. Now it’s down to the last three events so we’ll see what happens.”

Stewart shared second place with England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Spaniard Adrian Otaegui on 11 under par as Carlsson, another rookie on the tour this year, virtually sealed his path to The European Tour with a record winning margin for the event, finishing with a five under par 67 and an 18 under par total.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72)

270 J Carlsson (Swe) 69 67 67 67,

277 T Hatton (Eng) 68 72 65 72, A Otaegui  (Esp) 67 70 69 71, D Stewart (Sco) 70 70 65 72,

278 O Wilson (Eng) 70 66 75 67, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 71 68 70 69,

279 R Kakko  (Fin) 72 71 70 66, A Pavan (Ita) 70 71 69 69,

280 S Kim (Kor) 69 69 75 67, F Praegant (Aut) 71 69 69 71, N Elvira  (Esp) 69 73 68 70, N Lemke (Swe) 73 68 72 67, J Huldahl (Den) 63 72 73 72,

281 S Kapur (Ind) 71 71 69 70, P Oriol (Esp) 71 71 74 65, C Kim (USA) 65 74 73 69,

282 C Del Moral (Esp) 71 71 72 68, A Rota (Ita) 74 70 70 68, D Brooks (Eng) 71 69 73 69,

283 S Arnold  (Aus) 67 67 74 75, P Maddy (Eng) 69 69 71 74, B Ritthammer (Ger) 69 70 74 70, V Riu  (Fra) 73 64 73 73, C Ford (Eng) 72 70 72 69,

284 M Brier (Aut) 70 73 71 70, B An (Kor) 70 68 73 73,

285 R Steiner (Aut) 69 69 75 72, T Sluiter  (Ned) 66 79 71 69, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 72 70 71 72, L Kennedy  (Eng) 69 71 75 70, D Gaunt (Aus) 69 70 77 69,

286 D Huizing (Ned) 73 69 73 71, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 72 71 72 71, C Hanson (Eng) 71 73 71 71, L Claverie (Esp) 70 67 75 74, S Tiley (Eng) 74 65 71 76, J Barnes (Eng) 71 74 71 70,

287 F Calmels  (Fra) 73 70 73 71, R McGowan  (Eng) 73 69 76 69, J Heath  (Eng) 75 70 74 68, A Gee  (Eng) 68 75 70 74, J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 73 69 77, J Elson  (Eng) 74 68 71 74, A Velasco (Esp) 69 74 70 74, A Johnston (Eng) 70 74 71 72,

288 H Porteous (RSA) 76 67 73 72, B Stone (RSA) 69 72 74 73, J Guerrier  (Fra) 71 70 72 75, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 72 71 69 76, G Cambis  (Fra) 69 71 75 73,

289 W Booth  (Sco) 71 72 72 74, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 70 71 71 77, E Dubois (Fra) 73 71 72 73, A Bernadet  (Fra) 70 73 74 72, R Davies (Wal) 73 72 73 71, G Stal  (Fra) 70 74 68 77, M Ford (Eng) 70 75 71 73,

290 P Edberg (Swe) 71 74 74 71, D Im (USA) 70 73 73 74,

291 P Archer (Eng) 71 70 76 74, C Brazillier  (Fra) 73 72 73 73, A McArthur  (Sco) 74 71 74 72, M Haastrup  (Den) 74 71 74 72,

292 J McLeary  (Sco) 73 72 73 74, S Hutsby  (Eng) 72 72 76 72,

294 J Senior (Eng) 73 72 75 74, P Widegren  (Swe) 69 70 80 75,

295 D Kemmer (USA) 70 73 76 76,

297 G Houston (Wal) 72 72 76 77, N Ravano (Ita) 72 73 78 74,

298 J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 70 75 76 77,

301 P Figueiredo  (Por) 70 75 78 78,

303 C Aguilar  (Esp) 71 72 78 82,

 

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS