SWEDEN’S ALEX NOREN will head to the Open in the best possible form after capturing the Scottish Open title in Inverness on Sunday.
Noren, who turns 34 on Tuesday, celebrated a fifth European Tour victory courtesy of a closing round 70 and winning by a shot with a 14-under par tally in rainy conditions on the Castle Stuart course in northern Scotland.
Noren went into the last day leading by two shots.
Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell just left himself with too much to do on the final day as he finished in a tie for 10th, five shots off Noren.
New Zealand’s Danny Lee drawing level near mid-round, but while the Monaco-based Noren admitted to being nervous, he was never headed and moved back to two shots clear of his rivals with birdies at the 12th and 15th holes.
The Swede, who had been sidelined for all of 2014 with tendinitis in both wrists, was challenged by England’s Tyrrell Hatton who birdied the last in a round of 69 for a 13-under par tally.
But Noren held on holing a short par at the last to claim the €645,000 first prize cheque – the highest of his 11-year professional career.
Hatton, 24 also secured the biggest cheque of his short five-year pro career in earning €430,000 after being tied with three others and with a hole to play.
It was Hatton’s second runners-up finish on the Tour and also earned him a place in the Open field.
Three players — Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts (66), New Zealand’s Danny Lee (69) and Italy’s Matteo Manassero (70) –- shared third place on 12-under par.
Manassero’s effort was his highest finish on the European Tour since fourth in the same event two years ago, and also got the 23-year-old into the Open.
In 2010, the then 17-year old Manassero became the youngest winner in the history of the Tour in capturing the Castellon Masters. Two years later, he climbed to a career high of No 25 in the world.
However, when he teed-up in northern Scotland on Thursday the Italian had slumped to 596th in the world rankings.
But this result signalled an upturn in Manassero’s fortunes.
“This is a really good moment for me, and all these struggles and hard work and stuff are obviously paying off and hopefully next time I’ll be holding a trophy,” he said.
Joining Manassero and Hatton in securing spots for the Open — the only one of golf’s four Majors staged outside the United States — were Colsaerts and Scotland’s Richie Ramsay (67) who shared sixth place on 11-under par.
The American duo of Patrick Reed and Phil Mickelson also head to Royal Troon in decent form, with Reed birdieing two of his closing three holes in a score of 67 to share ninth place on nine-under par.
Former Scottish and British Open champion Mickelson finished with a 66 to share 13th place at seven-under par.
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