A scintillating final round from Sweden’s Alex Noren earned him the BMW PGA title on a chaotic final day at Wentworth. On the PGA Tour Kevin Kisner clinched a one shot victory in the Dean & Deluca Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. However, given the new range of talent now emerging on both tours, does having a lead really matter anymore?
Are large leads no longer a safety net?
Having been 7 shots back from on the final day, Noren stormed to the victory with a course record 10 under par 62. The breath-taking final round included a beautifully stuck iron to less than 10 feet on the par 5 18th Hole that led to a closing eagle. The wonderful closing round from the Swede however begs the question, is any lead really safe?
Previously one could be certain that if a professional golfer was in the lead at a tournament come the final day, barring a complete meltdown, they’d be certain to win. However with the new pool of talent on the European Tour I feel that this is no longer a given. Alex Noren was not even considered to be remotely in contention on the final day, but a one course record round and he’s won the tournament. Such is the exciting talent on the European Tour that it can only be a positive thing for golf. Although it does little to alleviate golf’s problems, it does make for exciting viewing, if nothing else.
Kisner cruises to victory:
Two years after his maiden victory in the RSM Classic, Kevin Kisner shot a four-under final round of 66 to win the Dean & Deluca Invitational. He held off stiff competition from world number 6 Jordan Spieth and young Spanish talent John Rahm who shot strong final rounds of 65 and 64 respectively. After a dull front nine, Kisner caught fire with 3 straight birdies to open the back nine. This opened a lead he then protected with a clutch par save on the 18th hole to seal the win. It was an impressive final round in which he held his nerve superbly despite a bogey on the 16th hole and the prospect of a four-man playoff looming large.
This Week on Tour:
This week the European Tour moves to Sweden for the Nordea Masters, home soil for the newly crowned BMW PGA champion Alex Noren. Last year young English talent Matthew Fitzpatrick triumphed with a three shot victory over Denmark’s Lasse Jenson. Fitzpatrick will be eager to defend his title but may find it difficult with the in-form Noren at his heels.
The PGA Tour this week moves to Muirfield Village golf course in Ohio for the Memorial Tournament where big hitting American William McGirt is the defending champion. He will face a tough defence with big names such as Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler expected to make a run at the title, especially in the presence of the legendary host Jack Nicklaus, which inevitably increases the standard.
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