Tag: Euro Tour

Can Jon Rahm equal Seve Ballesteros? He’s trying his best at the Spanish Open.

Rahm is trying to equal Ballesteros’ mark of winning the Spanish Open three times.

Justly so, Seve Ballesteros is regarded in Spanish circles as the nation’s greatest golf product, revered for his five victories in major tournaments and leading the all-time list of European Tour winners with 50 titles.

But Jon Rahm is carving out his own slice of Spanish golf history, having held the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for more than a year and becoming the first Spaniard to capture the U.S. Open.

This week, Rahm is trying to equal Ballesteros’ mark of winning the Spanish Open three times, and if Thursday’s opening round is any indication, he just might do it.

Rahm, who won the event in 2018 and 2019 but couldn’t go for a natural three-peat since it was canceled last year due to COVID, fired an opening-round 63 at Clube de Campo Villa de Madrid. Ballesteros won the event in 1981, 1985 and in his final Euro Tour victory in 1995.

“It would be very unique. I know names like Ollie (Jose Maria Olazabal), he couldn’t win it,” Rahm said earlier in the week. “I would hope to be able to get to a third not only to tie Seve but to win it three times in a row.”

There’s still work to be done as Rahm is two shots off the pace after the opening round — Englishman Ross McGowan led the way with a 61 while SebastiĂĄn GarcĂ­a RodrĂ­guez is alone in second after firing a 62.

Rahm was a star at Arizona State and now lives in Scottsdale, but he was thrilled at the reception he received.

“When I see my face on buses and billboards I realize the impact that I’ve had,” he said. “Little by little I’m getting used to it. I’m very motivated, there is nothing like the support of these fans.”

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Tyrrell Hatton’s dad is excited (but tired) while his son is again shining at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Playing with his son Tyrrell — the 19th-ranked golfer in the world — has brought some new challenges this week.

Jeff Hatton is an accomplished teaching pro and club fitter, the owner and operator of Hatton Golf, a specialty shop about 30 miles outside of London.

While Hatton works on clubs and helps perfect swings, one thing he doesn’t have much time to do is play golf. So this week, playing with his son Tyrrell — the 19th-ranked golfer in the world — has presented some new challenges.

For example, although Jeff is Tyrrell’s swing coach, the two haven’t had time to work through any tweaks or changes during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is played at St. Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie and on Thursday, Kingsbarns.

“He hasn’t sort of looked at my swing on the range or anything,” Tyrrell Hatton said on Thursday. “I think he’s been a bit too excited to play these courses for the first time, and actually he’s probably quite tired. He normally plays once every six weeks. And he did 18 holes on Tuesday, he did nine holes yesterday and obviously another 18 today.

“So the old boy is gonna be tired tomorrow, that’s for sure.”

Just because his father’s a bit winded doesn’t mean that Tyrrell is feeling the effects of a busy week. After returning from the Ryder Cup, Hatton was in fine form on Thursday, using a scintillating 29 on the back to finish at 64 after the opening round. Adri Arnaus, Nicolas Colsaerts and Haotong Li are also sitting tied atop the leaderboard with Hatton.

But the topic of focus in a post-round interview was Hatton’s father, who had promised that he wouldn’t get the jitters playing in the event.

“He admitted that he was nervous, which he said, sort of in the whole build-up to this, he was like, no, I won’t be nervous, I won’t be nervous. And he actually played quite nicely in the practice rounds and he’s gone out there today and obviously not played to the level that you’d like to,” Tyrrell said. “But I think he enjoyed it and we’ll have a good day tomorrow.”

Hatton certainly had fun, using an eagle on the 12th hole to negate the blemish on his card, a bogey on No. 7. He’s looking for his third win in this event after winning the title in both 2016 and 2017. The only other player to win this tournament twice is Padraig Harrington, who captained the Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits last week.

In terms of the course rotation, Hatton pondered when asked which was his favorite before offering a predictable answer.

“I’d probably just say St. Andrews,” he said. “I think just with the history of it and it just it feels more special when you’re playing there and we’ll look forward to playing there on Saturday.”

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Don’t look now, but a pair of Danish twins have officially taken over the European Tour

The LPGA has the Korda sisters. The European tour has the Hojgaard Brothers.

Wait, you might be thinking, didn’t Højgaard win on the European Tour last week?

Indeed, one did. A week after his twin brother Rasmus won in Switzerland, Nicolai Højgaard made history on Sunday, dropping a short birdie putt on the final hole to capture the DS Automobiles Italian Open at Marco Simone Golf Club. That gave the Danish duo the distinction of being the first brother tandem to win consecutive events on the Euro Tour.

Nicolai, whose previous best showing was a second-place finish at the 2019 KLM Open (when he finished just behind Sergio Garcia), shot an even 71 to hold off Tommy Fleetwood and Adrian Meronk for the title.

Højgaard admitted his nerves were getting to him as he stood over his final putt, a short-and-straight 3-footer.

“I’ve been nervous many times before but nothing like this. I almost couldn’t move the putter to be honest, so I was really nervous,” he said. “But you’re trying to get yourself a chance to win and I gave myself a chance today. … I’m really happy and can’t wait to celebrate.”

While Nicolai was tapping in the winning putt, brother Rasmus stood just off the 18th green with each of the brothers’ girlfriends. It marked an incredible stretch for the combo — Rasmus’ win in the Omega European Masters at Crans-Montana was his third on the Tour.

And Nicolai admitted after Saturday’s round that he was using his twin’s victory as inspiration.

“Seeing Rasmus win is a big motivation. I’m just trying to follow in his steps a little bit,” Nicolai said.

Højgaard held the lead after 54 holes and was in good position until making a pair of bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes. He responded with good looks on both 16 and 17 but failed to capitalize before and approach on 18 gave him a short putt for the win.

“To finish it off with an up and down, it’s perfect, it’s what I’ve dreamed of. It’s what I’ve been working on all my life so I’m really pleased with it,” Højgaard said.

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Garrick Higgo makes a hole-in-one, wins again on European Tour

The UNLV product now has three Euro Tour wins, doing so in just 26 events.

Make it two wins in three weeks for Garrick Higgo.

The South African won the 2021 Canary Islands Championship on Sunday in Spain, following up his victory at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open on April 24.

And he did it in style – his 9-iron on the 166-yard, par-3 seventh found the cup, part of a final-round 64. He finished 27 under and won by six shots over Australian Maverick Antcliff.

Ireland’s Niall Kearney made a run at a 59, needing to close with two birdies, but he parred in to shoot a final-round 61, good for a tie for fourth.

The left-handed Higgo, who played at UNLV, now has three Euro Tour wins in 26 events. That ties Tiger Woods for fewest number of events needed to reach three wins on either the Euro or PGA Tour, and makes him the fastest South African to win three times not counting majors or WGC events, the European Tour reported.

With Dean Burmester’s win last week, South Africans have won three consecutive events for the time on the Euro Tour in nine years.

Higgo’s win vaults him into fifth in the Race to Dubai Rankings and pushes him to verge of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Garrick Higgo
Garrick Higgo poses with the trophy after winning the Canary Islands Championship at Golf Costa Adeje on May 09, 2021 in Tenerife, Spain. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Sexual assault charge still pending, Thorbjorn Olesen leads at Gran Canaria Lopesan Open

Olesen had yet to make a start in 2021 after a positive COVID test and a wrist injury, but he followed Thursday 65 with a scintillating 61.

Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen, who still has a sexual assault charge pending, shot a course-record 61 on Friday during the second round of the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open and leads the Euro Tour event.

Olesen had yet to make a start in 2021 after a positive COVID test and a wrist injury, but he followed Thursday’s 65 with a scintillating 61 that included an eagle on the fourth hole.

Olesen was charged with sexual assault, common assault and being drunk on an aircraft during a flight from Nashville to London following his participation in the 2019 WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

According to multiple reports, Olesen allegedly assaulted a woman and urinated in the aisle of a plane while drunk on the flight. The Sun reported that Ian Poulter had to calm Olesen down after he was allegedly abusive toward passengers and crew in first class. Olesen allegedly assaulted the woman while Poulter slept.

“He started abusing some of the passengers and crew and then made a pass at one of the female passengers before taking a leak in the aisle,” one passenger on the flight told The Sun. “It was shocking behavior.”

Olesen has pleaded not guilty to all three charges and his court case has been delayed to December 2021. The European Tour suspended Olesen on Aug. 6, 2019, pending the investigation into his arrest, but reinstated him in July of 2020.

Meanwhile, Dutchman Wil Besseling charged up the board as he followed Thursday’s 64 with another impressive showing. Maximilian Kieffer, Robin Rousell and Matthias Schwab are all sitting at 12 under after two days, a pair of strokes behind Olesen.

The event is held at Meloneras Golf Course in the Canary Islands.

Justin Harding holds off Kurt Kitayama to capture Magical Kenya Open

Harding finished Sunday with a 66 and ended the event at 21 under. Kitayama was alone in second at 19 under.

American Kurt Kitayama made a charge on Sunday during the final round of the Magical Kenya Open, but Justin Harding met him shot for shot, and the South African clinched his second European Tour win in the process.

Kitayama — who stands at 125 in the Official World Golf Ranking and 224 on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, but entered this week in the top 30 in the Euro Tour’s Race to Dubai — made a pair of eagles on Sunday and cut Harding’s lead to one on the 17th hole with a birdie.

But Harding, who has seven Sunshine Tour wins under his belt, responded with a birdie of his own to give himself some cushion on the final hole at Karen Country Club in Nairobi.

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Harding finished Sunday with a 66 and ended the event at 21 under. Kitayama was alone in second at 19 under.

Only two players in the OWGR top 100 — No. 77 Aaron Rai and No. 87 George Coetzee — made the trip.

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Darren Fichardt navigates windy conditions to snag lead at Qatar Masters

Fichardt was one of just four players to post a score under par on the day.

Despite a rough stretch on the back nine in which he followed a double-bogey with a bogey, South African Darren Fichardt navigated his way through some swirling winds at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on Saturday, and he’ll take a one-shot lead into the final round.

Fichardt, who has five wins on the Euro Tour but none since the 2017 Joburg Open, opened the back nine with two straight birdies but hit his rough patch on holes No. 13 and 14. He fought back with two birdies on the day’s final holes, however, and stands at 7 under through 54 holes at the Education City Golf Course.

Englishman Jack Senior is alone in second just a single shot behind Fichardt. Kurt Kitayama is the top American in the field as he’s currently T-10 at 2 under, but dropped significantly with a 75 on Saturday.

Fichardt, who has a total of 18 victories on the South African-based Sunshine Tour, used some solid wedge play to grab the lead. He was one of just four players to post a score under par on the day.

Admittedly, the field in Qatar is not particularly strong as just eight of the world’s top 100 players are on hand, and none from inside the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 50.

Bryson DeChambeau in the hunt, David Horsey leads at Saudi International

David Horsey leads the European Tour’s Saudi International after the first round while Bryson DeChambeau trails by four shots.

After missing the cut in his previous two appearances in Saudi Arabia, David Horsey is leading the way at the Saudi International.

The 35-year-old Englishman was on 59 watch after beginning the event on a roll. He began his round with two birdies and then went on a roll after the turn. He began the back nine with five straight birdies, adding two more on 16 and 17 to sign for a 61 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

“It’s a shock, actually,” Horsey said, according to the European Tour. “I’ve been playing rubbish the last couple of weeks. Didn’t feel like I controlled my ball the first two events.

“Had a conversation with a pal back home last night, talking a few things through and suggested something that I work on away from the tournament. I thought, well, can’t get any worse, so I may as well try it and here we are.”

Horsey missed the cut in his last two events, a T-67 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and a T-89 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

One shot behind Horsey is Stephen Gallacher who birdied five of his last six holes take solo second after Round 1. Bernd Wiesberger shot a bogey-free 64 to claim third. Five golfers including Bryson DeChambeau sit T-4 at 5 under. The reigning U.S. Open winner began his round with a bogey on 11 but rattled off three birdies in four holes to complete his first nine. He added four more birdies on the front nine to finish 5-under 65.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and 13 others including Lee Westwood and Tyrell Hatton sit T-17 is at 3 under.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is on a roll, widens lead at South African Open

Bezuidenhout posted his third consecutive 67 in this week’s South African Open to move to 15 under, widening his lead to five strokes.

If consistency is the key to capturing golf tournaments, Christiaan Bezuidenhout might just keep winning.

After winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship on last week’s Euro/Sunshine swing, Bezuidenhout posted his third consecutive 67 in this week’s South African Open to move to 15 under, widening his lead to five strokes heading into the final day.

If he does turn the trick, Bezuidenhout would be the first player to win consecutive European Tour events since Justin Rose did so in 2017.

Bezuidenhout posted just his second bogey of the week (again on the par-3 third hole), but didn’t drop another shot all day at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City. With other leaders fading a bit, the South African star made a total of six birdies including one on the day’s final hole.

Meanwhile, veteran Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who opened the day tied with Bezuidenhout atop the board, had a rough mid-round stretch, dropping shots on three of four holes from Nos. 8 to 11. Donaldson and Dylan Frittelli are 10 under with 18 holes to play.

South African Open: Leaderboard

The low round of the day went to South African JC Ritchie, who fired a 66 to get to 9 under for the week. Ritchie is tied with Dean Burmester for fourth.

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Andy Sullivan clicks into cruise control, preserves lead at Golf in Dubai Championship

Sullivan was steady as a rock at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, finishing with a solid 68 to maintain a two-stroke lead over Matt Wallace.

If Andy Sullivan had his pedal to the metal for the first two rounds of the Golf in Dubai Championship, he successfully clicked into cruise control during his third round — and now sits just 18 holes from his fifth European Tour win.

Sullivan was steady as a rock with the lead at the Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Fire Course, finishing with a solid 68 to maintain a two-stroke lead over Matt Wallace. Sullivan, who won the English Championship in August, is 21 under after three rounds. The third round was slightly delayed due to fog, but that didn’t faze Sullivan.

Italian Renato Paratore fired his second straight 65 to hop into a tie for third at 18 under with Ross Fisher.

But the story thus far has been Sullivan, who opened the event with a 61 and has maintained his lead throughout. He had a single bogey on No. 10 — just his second of the entire tournament — but rolled in five birdies to keep his edge.

“I started off really nicely … played really solid. From 10 through to 14 I didn’t swing it that great, didn’t give myself that many chances but found good swings coming in,” Sullivan said. “There’s a lot of golf to be played and a lot of birdies going to be made tomorrow. I’ve just got to go out there and play as good as I can.”

Robert McIntyre is five shots off the lead heading into the final round while Bernd Wiesberger sits T1-2 at 14 under.

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