World Golf News - 29 July 2011

On the US PGA Tour, the Canadian Open was won by American Sean O’Hair in a playoff against compatriot Kris Blanks. As the final round unfolded at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, an exciting field of players emerged vying for first place. With overnight leader Bo Van Pelt struggling to maintain prime position, O’Hair was steadily working his way up from three shots behind to emerge as a strong contender for the title.

Local favourite Adam Hadwin, a relatively unknown player, produced an astounding final round but was two shots shy of matching O’Hair. A similar turn of events prevented Argentinean Andres Romero from taking part in the playoff. Blanks, who had led the first round of the tournament, made an impressive ten-foot par putt to force a playoff. After making bogey on the first playoff hole, O’Hair looked on as Blank double-bogeyed to hand him the title. After a rocky Pro-Am performance last Wednesday O’Hair felt vindicated by his victory as he lifted the trophy for the first time this season.

In Europe, windy weather conditions produced a challenging final round for players contesting the Scandinavian Masters. With strong winds that made accurate play difficult for even the finest European golfers it was local favourite Alexander Noren who prevailed, winning the tournament by an impressive seven shots over England’s Richard Finch.

For his part, Finch was the only player with a par-breaking score on the final day. His impressive score of three-under placed him firmly in second place with Niklas Lemke, also from Sweden, in third. After lifting the trophy amid cheers from his home crowd, Noren reflected on the difficulties he faced in the final round. By surviving the 17th hole, a par three featuring an island green, Noren was able to overcome the weather conditions and claim his victory.

Golfweather Editorial