Andy Ogletree looks to be firmly in the driver’s seat for a return to the LIV Golf League with a dominant seven-stroke victory in the Asian Tour’s $2 million International Series England — and a runaway 16-under tournament total.

The American was unstoppable at Close House, near Newcastle, shooting a final-round seven-under-par 64 — the joint lowest round of the week — to finish ahead of LIV Golf’s Ian Poulter, who closed with the same score.

Ogletree now looks to be a lock to rub shoulders with the likes of Poulter and the other LIV Golf superstars in 2024 as it is his third convincing International Series victory — he triumphed in Qatar by three this year, and by four in Egypt last season — and it consolidated his lead on both the Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merits.

The International Series OOM winner at the end of the season earns a spot on the LIV Golf roster for 2024 — Ogletree competed on the tour last year and has been travelling as a reserve this season.

Indian Anirban Lahiri — another LIV-er — also excelled, carding a 68, to take sole possession of third, one back from Poulter.

“I don’t think I could hit it much better than I did this week,” said the 25-year-old Ogletree, who banked $360,000.

“The greens were super bumpy so it’s hard to tell exactly how my putting was, but I was pleased with how I played and my speed control coming down the stretch today was awesome. And it was nice to see a few putts go in, so we’re just gonna keep trying to get better every week. My game is in a really good spot against a world-class field, super honoured to play the way I did.”

Unstoppable ?@andy_ogletree stamped his authority once again on the Asian Tour by claiming the International Series England after a stunning seven-stroke victory ??#InternationalSeriesEngland #whereitsAT

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) August 21, 2023

He had a one-stroke advantage at the start of the day, and after brushing off a bogey on the opening hole he boarded the birdie train with birdies on the following hole, four, five and eight.

He uncharacteristically missed a five-foot putt for par on the ninth that saw him make the turn with a three-shot lead, before he stormed home unchallenged with two birdies and an eagle on the back nine.

His success is all the more remarkable considering his last event on the Asian Tour was the International Series Vietnam in April, having focused on the LIV Golf League thereafter.

Poulter, playing in the fifth from last group, closed Ogletree’s lead to five after he eagled the par-five 16th, only to see the American frontrunner do the same soon after.

Poulter, attempting to win for the first time in five years, said: “I just kind of found the key to hitting a few putts on these greens, which I didn’t have the first three days. And you know, when you do that and you play good golf like I played the first three days, then you’re going to be able to make some birdies. And that’s what I did today. I made quite a few ‘birds’, and it was 16 feet on 16 there, and rolled that one in.”

Lahiri finished second in the International Series Vietnam and backed that up this week.

“Very, very pleased,” said the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion.

“I think that was probably the top-three ball-striking round of the year for me, I think I would rate this round better than my Saturday at Bedminster and better than Adelaide. I think I was very, very happy with how I swung it. My control of the ball in the air, my distance control everything was spot on. I drove it phenomenally. I think three-under is probably the absolute worst score I could have shot today. Honestly, if my dad putted for me today, we would have shot a 65!”

Amateur golfer Luke Poulter, who plays college golf at the University of Florida and is the 19-year-old son of Ian, completed an impressive tournament by closing with a 71, to finish in a tie for 22nd, on level-par.

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “I beat him [Ian Poulter] one of the days, it was really cool but my main goal was to try and beat him this week, but, he got me by nine!”

The Asian Tour journeys north of the border this week for the inaugural St Andrews Bay Championship at Fairmont St Andrews. The $1.5 million event tees off on Thursday and features a host of marquee names, including former Masters champion Sergio Garcia from Spain, and American Harold Varner III.

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Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut fired an opening five-under-par 66 to take the lead in the Asian Tour’s International Series England at Close House, near Newcastle, as some of LIV Golf’s big names lurked near the top of the leaderboard.

He fired six birdies and one bogey in nasty conditions on the Colt Course, to finish the day one in front of American Liv-er Jason Kokrak and Jaewoong Eom from Korea.

Germany’s Dominic Foos and Suradit Yongcharoenchai from Thailand returned 68s, while LIV Golf and Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter was in group of 10 players on 69.

Sarit played a practice round here with countryman Pavit Tangkamolprasert before last year’s England event, which was played at a different venue, and said: “Maybe that helped a little bit today, there was more rain that time.”

He started on the back nine on Thursday, and birdied 10, and 14 before a brilliant two on the 18th — a difficult 185-yard par-three, that could be the scene of much drama come Sunday. He dropped a shot on the second, but recovered with gains on three, six and eight.

“I have been hitting it really well,” he said. “Today was just about the putting, it is all about the putting. Still need to fix my long putting, I might practice that.”

Sarit triumphed for the first time on the Asian Tour last year, at the season-ending Indonesian Masters, but has struggled this year, until a top-10 finish in the Indonesia Open two weeks ago.

“I had an injury at the beginning of the year, at first it was a back injury, then I got sick, I got Covid, I also had neck and wrist problems,” said the 25-year-old, who was also laid low by Covid last year.

“I took a lot of time off to repair my body, to not get into trouble with injury again, I think that’s worked.”

Kokrak, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour including two in 2021, finished strongly with birdies on 16 and 17.

“Very happy with that,” said the 38-year-old. “I thought I was going along well but not really making any putts. I was hitting it well but thought I should be more under par. Made a couple there at the end, happy with it.

“The course is wet and super long. I would love to see this place really bouncy.”

Ian Poulter. Asian Tour

Englishman Poulter was happy to get in the clubhouse among the leaders after a rough second half.

“Damage limitation,” said Poulter. “Obviously, three-under through nine and cruising but bogeyed the first hole which is my 10th, a par five, is suicide, frustrating to do that. I shanked it down four which is not ideal, nearly made par, and had another bogey on the par three with a pulled eight iron, I was in the middle of the fairway there. Dropping three shots on that nine was poor.”

His son, Luke, an amateur, started well with a 72 although made costly mistakes with the short stick.

Poulter Sr said: “He’s one over, he had four three putts. He will probably slap himself around the head, so he has obviously played good golf, and he has not done his job on the putting green. He is a good golfer, and great he is in the field this week.”

His compatriot, fellow LIV Golfer and playing partner Lee Westwood, who is the Touring Professional for Close House, also looked set to be among the front runners but made a double on his third from last hole and came in with a 70.

American Andy Ogletree, who currently leads the Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merits, signed for a 72, while Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, who claimed the Mandiri Indonesia Open two weeks ago, shot 73.

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If you scroll down to the tee times below you may see a duplication of two of England’s most famous golfing surnames.

Nope, it’s not a typo.

I guess it shows that time flies when you are having fun as both Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will welcome their sons to the field for the Asian Tour’s International Series event at Close House, just outside Newcastle this week.

Luke and Ian Poulter. Stuart Franklin

Having both caddied for their dads at previous events, Luke Poulter and Sam Westwood are now both in the 156-strong field in their own right contending for the $2 million prize money.

There will be 2 Poulter’s in the field for the @intseriesgolf at @CloseHouseGolf this week, excited to experience it with Luke??????

Grab your tickets now: https://t.co/p9hPUCcETu pic.twitter.com/zw9B69TwBI

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) August 14, 2023

Last year, the senior Poulter spoke to Golf Monthly about Luke’s chances on tour. “I’m holding him off at the moment, but it will happen one day,” he said. “When he does win I know his celebrations will match anything you’ve ever seen from me. And I will plaster it all over social media, because I’ll be more proud than disappointed.”

The Westwoods have previously played in the same tournament — the 2022 Indonesian Masters, when Westwood Jr made his debut as a professional. “He started playing the game very late,” Westwood told Golf Monthly of his son. “He only took up the game seriously at age 16 and he is 21 now. I don’t really have any expectations for him this week. I just want him to enjoy himself.”

Excited to tee it up at @CloseHouseGolf with Sam this week for the @intseriesgolf eventhttps://t.co/05m2ciKXOd pic.twitter.com/TTF6MNZy0X

— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) August 14, 2023

However, if the Englishmen want to make history and make it a family affair in the same group, first they will have to make the cut as, while the dads are paired together for Rounds 1 and 2, the young guns have been split across the field.

Oh, if that wasn’t enough, a youngster named Davis ‘Dru’ Love IV is also in the line-up. Yep, that will be the son of 1997 PGA champ Davis Love III.

Maybe a glimpse of the next generation is on the cards at Close House…

International Series England Tee times and pairings
Thursday
Hole 1
7.00 Kyson Lloyd, Runchanapong Youprayong, AJ Batty
7.10 Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Natipong Srithong, Luke Joy
7.20 James Wilson, Taewoo Kim #1468, Settee Prakongvech
7.30 Rattanon Wannasrichan, Micah Lauren Shin, Yikeun Chang
7.40 Denwit Boriboonsub, Luke Poulter (a), Angelo Que
7.50 Prom Meesawat, Ben Campbell, Sam Westwood
8.00 Jbe Kruger, Tom Power-Horan, Michael Maguire
8.10 Andrew Dodt, Trevor Simsby Chikkarangappa S
8.20 Hung Chien-yao, SSP Chawrasia, Poom Saksansin
8.30 Pawin Ingkhapradit, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Kyongjun Moon
8.40 Siddikur Rahman, Jaco Ahlers, Bjorn Hellgren
8.50 Josh Younger, Seungtaek Lee, Carlos Bustos
9.00 Alex Ching, Dominic Foos, Lloyd Jefferson Go

Hole 10
7.00 David Puig, Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Taehee Lee
7.10 Abraham Ancer, Chan Shih-chang, Brendan Steele
7.20 Hideto Tanihara, Sarit Suwannarut, Matt Jones
7.30 Ian Poulter, Nitithorn Thippong, Lee Westwood
7.40 Eugenio Chacarra, Steve Lewton, Scott Hend
7.50 Hudson Swafford, Travis Smyth, Peter Uihlein
8.00 James Piot, Chase Koepka, Tomoharu Otsuki
8.10 Simon Robinson, Chanat Sakulpolphaisan, Kartik Sharma
8.20 Danthai Boonma, Honey Baisoya, Ian Snyman
8.30 Gunn Charoenkul, Richard T Lee, John Lyras
8.40 Kevin Yuan, Lee Chieh-po, Bai Zhengkai
8.50 Jack Murdoch, Nicolas Paez, Faisal Salhab
9.00 Will Marshall, Jean Bekirian, Rory Franssen

Hole 1
12.00 Chanmin Jung, Taichi Kho, Jediah Morgan
12.10 Miguel Tabuena, Andy Ogletree, Wade Ormsby
12.20 Richard Bland, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Graeme McDowell
12.30 Anirban Lahiri, Phachara Khongwatmai, Jason Kokrak
12.40 Sebastian Munoz, Kieran Vincent, Dean Burmester
12.50 Pat Perez, Danny Lee, Sihwan Kim
13.00 Brendan Jones, Jaewoong Eom, Shiv Kapur
13.10 Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Jack Harrison, Davis Love IV
13.20 Ben Jones, Nicholas Fung, Suradit Yongcharoenchai
13.30 Itthipat Buranatanyarat, Viraj Madappa, Yongjun Bae
13.40 Jyoti Randhawa, Jack Thompson, Nick Voke
13.50 Rhys Thompson, Chen Guxin, Matt Sharpstene
14.00 Terry Pilkadaris, Suteepat Prateeptienchai, Matthew Cheung

Hole 10
12.00 Naraajie Ramadhanputra, Meenwhee Kim, Saud Al Sharif
12.10 MJ Viljoen, Marcus Fraser, Othman Almulla
12.20 Turk Pettit, Jeev Milkha Singh, Neil Schietekat
12.30 Mardan Mamat, David Drysdale, Veer Ahlawat
12.40 Chapchai Nirat, Rahil Gangjee, Matt Killen
12.50 Miguel Carballo, Yoseop Seo, Zach Murray
13.00 Berry Henson, Tirawat Kaewsiribandit, Ben Leong
13.10 Jarin Todd, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai
13.20 Todd Sinnott, Chang Wei-lun, Kosuke Hamamoto
13.30 Dodge Kemmer, Wang Wei-hsuan, Rashid Khan
13.40 Douglas Klein, Khalin Joshi, David Hague
13.50 Harrison Gilbert-Wong, Shergo Al Kurdi, Karandeep Kochhar
14.00 Laird Shepherd, Ye Wocheng, Sangpil Yoon

The post Bring your son to work day? Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood to tee up alongside sons Luke and Sam at International Series England appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The fifth event of The International Series 2023 schedule at Close House, outside Newcastle, will mark the 28-year-old’s second appearance in England this year after making his major debut in The Open in July.

Excited to be back in the UK, Smyth said: “I’ve had some time off since The Open so I’m buzzing to be here and buzzing to play. I haven’t competed in too many tournaments over the last three months, so I can’t wait.”

Home for the week ???????#InternationalSeries #ISengland #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/2PB4usn1vl

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) August 15, 2023

Now at a crucial point in the season, Smyth is battling it out for the top spot on the International Series Order of Merit to earn an automatic berth in the lucrative LIV Golf League for 2024.

“I view them [International Series events] as majors because of what they can potentially achieve. It changed my life, financially, freed me up and I’ve been able to play good golf ever since,” Smyth said. “It is an amazing pathway that appeared out of nowhere.”

Acknowledging the investment made by LIV Golf, he added: “LIV’s involvement in the game has been transformative. I’m thrilled to be part of this transitional phase with the game of golf and the Asian Tour.”

The Sydney native made history with his appearance at The 151st Open — hitting the first ever hole-in-one on the new par-3 17th hole at Royal Liverpool.

Recalling his unforgettable ace, he reflected on the special moment: “I’ve never had so much applause over a single golf shot in my life. Once you get a taste of that, it’s intoxicating. I’ll be working harder than ever to get back.”

Smyth, who lost out by a stroke to Kieran Vincent at Slaley Hall on the last International Series visit to England, will be joined by Ryder Cup legends Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, and many more renowned golfers with representatives from 11 of the LIV Golf League’s 12 teams featuring in the event.

Referring to the household names teeing it up on Tyneside, Smyth concluded: “I guess now I’m of age, and playing good enough golf and it just so happens that they’re playing Asian Tour events now. It’s just wild getting to meet them, seeing them around the clubhouse and having them call me by my first name. Yeah, it’s cool.”

The post Travis Smyth looks to go one better at the International Series England appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Patrick Reed has withdrawn from the upcoming International Series England event due to unforeseen personal circumstances, the Asian Tour has announced.

Tournament organisers understand and support Reed’s decision. Despite Reed’s withdrawal, there will still be plenty of star power on show at Close House, outside Newcastle, will 22 LIV Golfers lining up alongside the Asian Tour elite on August 17-20.

Headlined by former World No. 1 Lee Westwood alongside fellow former Ryder Cup players Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell. Featuring golfers from 32 nations across six continents, the 156-strong field also welcomes the 25-year-old currently leading both the Asian Tour and International Series Orders of Merit, Andy Ogletree.

The American captured his second International Series victory in February 2022 at Doha Golf Club to catapult him to the top of the standings where he has remained despite valiant attempts to unseat him by close rivals Takumi Kanaya from Japan and Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent.

LIV Golf players competing at International Series England include:
Abraham Ancer
Richard Bland
Dean Burmester
Eugenio Chacarra
Matt Jones
Sihwan Kim
Chase Koepka
Jason Kokrak
Anirban Lahiri
Danny Lee
Graeme McDowell
Jed Morgan
Sebastian Munoz
Andy Ogletree
Pat Perez
James Piot
Ian Poulter
David Puig
Brendan Steele
Peter Uihlein
Kieran Vincent
Lee Westwood

The post Patrick Reed withdraws from International Series England due to ‘personal circumstances’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Asian Tour’s International Series is to partner with the charitable foundation set up by Newcastle United and England legend Alan Shearer at the upcoming event at Close House, Newcastle, on August 17-20, 2023.

Established in 2012 to support the Alan Shearer Centre in Newcastle, which provides respite, residential and social care for people with complex disabilities and acute sensory impairments, the Alan Shearer Foundation ensures essential facilities are provided free of charge to those who need it most.

Fundraising will take place throughout the tournament and the International Series will supplement all endeavours conducted contributing to the $25k donation that the Alan Shearer Foundation will receive.

Shearer said: “The Centre and Foundation have gone hand-in-hand to improve the lives of thousands of people living with disabilities across the region. I am incredibly proud of the facilities and care we provide and I am grateful to International Series England and all those who’ve given their generous support over the years.”

Representing the charity on-course at Close House and swapping goals for golf, the former striker will kick-off the International Series England in style by headlining a Celebrity Pro-Am, open to the public, on Wednesday August 16.

The Premier League’s all-time leading goal scorer (with 260 PL goals netted through his illustrious career) will be joined by numerous stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment, including former England cricketers Steve Harmison and Ryan Sidebottom, ex-Middlesbrough and Sunderland captain, Lee Cattermole, with more to be confirmed.

The Match of the Day pundit added: “Tyneside boasts some of the most passionate sports fans in the world. I’ve no doubt they will be out in force supporting the world-class golf on show at International Series England… and hopefully to see those of us with the privilege of playing alongside the professionals in the Pro-Am.”

Alan Shearer Activity Centre Manager, Jackie Dunn, commented: “This extremely generous donation will allow us to complete our exciting plans to re-develop our sensory garden; enhancing the physical well-being, mental health and cognitive development of our members.”

Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “Alan is a phenomenal patron to the North East of England and his charitable contribution showcases an unwavering commitment to the region, which is truly commendable.

“The International Series has a duty to the communities we visit, to leave them better than we find them, and the Alan Shearer Foundation is exactly the type of organisation that can help us do that.”

Representing 10 premier Asian Tour events, The International Series is characterised by its expanded entry criteria enabling players from all tours to tee-up at iconic global golf courses, in elite fields and compete for enhanced purses with $19 million up for grabs across the 2023 schedule.

The post Alan Shearer to tee it up at International Series England  pro-am — all for a good cause appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Nestled in the countryside in the northeast of England is a true gem of a course — Close House, the venue for the fifth stop on the Asian Tour’s International Series. The $2 million tournament will be played from August 17-20, with a strong field including Lee Westwood looking to emulate Scott Vincent’s triumph in this event last year just down the road at Slaley Hall. 

Situated just outside Newcastle on the banks of the River Tyne, Close House’s Colt Course was opened in 2011 by then world No. 1 Lee Westwood (he is the club’s Attached Touring Professional) and it will be used for the International Series event. 

The Scott Macpherson-designed track is a par-71 layout that measures just under 7,000 yards and incorporates historical features, including sunken ha-ha walls and ancient woodland. It is one of two courses at Close House, with the other being the Lee Westwood Filly course. It features plenty of undulations to provide challenging uphill and downhill lies, while also testing players’ fitness levels. “I am sure that the players will relish the challenge of the Lee Westwood Colt Course along with enjoying a very warm welcome from the members and guests,” said Close House owner, Sir Graham Wylie.

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Lee Westwood began his star-studded career back in 1993 and the former world No. 1 has 44 tour wins and an incredible 11 Ryder Cups under his belt. Following his move to LIV Golf to captain the Majesticks team alongside fellow Team Europe legends Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, the Englishman is now preparing for an event and venue close to his heart. 

The Englishman is returning to Close House — the club where he is the Attached Tour Professional — to compete in the Asian Tour International Series England event, where he will be lining up against a stellar field that includes 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell and this year’s PIF Saudi International victor Abraham Ancer, plus some of Asia’s most promising talent like Gunn Charoenkul, Chonalatit Chuenboonngam, Sadom Kaewkanjan and Phachara Khongwatmai.

Following a globe-trotting career spanning four decades, Westwood is relishing teeing it up close to his home just outside Newcastle in the north-east of England. 

“I think it’s an area of the country that doesn’t get much world-class golf,” he exclusively told Golf Digest Middle East “Obviously, we had the British Masters, and they played the International Series at Slaley last year but it’s nice to see a tournament coming to Close House. 

“They’ll get a great field, a lot of world-class players that everybody will know and recognise. I expect it to be a good turnout and the fans will love it. It’s in August, mid-summer, the course will be in great condition and nice weather hopefully.”

Despite having played the Colt Course at Close House several times, Westwood knows he and the rest of the field are in for a challenge. 

“The elevation changes are tricky at Close House, there are a lot of shots uphill and downhill with big elevation changes so clubbing becomes more difficult,” he said. “The greens have got some severe slopes on them as well in certain places, that’s another defence of the golf course. It can get breezy up here as well.”

The International Series was launched last year through a historic investment by LIV Golf that created a premier level of events to develop the next generation of stars and offer pathways to top competition in the LIV Golf League. 

At the end of the 2023 10-event season, the player in the No. 1 position will book a spot in the lucrative 2024 LIV Golf League, while the next 31 will secure entry into the LIV Golf Promotions Event to vie for three further places up for grabs.

“I like it [the International Series],” Westwood said. “I think it gives people an opportunity to play their way onto LIV. It’s 10 events, there’s an Order of Merit from them and if you play well, you get a chance to play on LIV which is very lucrative. We’ve seen Asian Tour players like Andy Ogletree play well in The International Series events and then come out and play well on LIV when he’s had an opportunity. He stood in for me in Tulsa and shot 62, eight-under, and then again he stood in for Paul Casey and I think he ended up finishing top 10. It shows the strength of the players playing the International Series and on the Asian Tour.”

With a career that goes back all the way to the early 1990s, Westwood knows he is not getting any younger at 50, and these days he is just enjoying his time on the course and reflecting on highlights like his 2009 victory in Dubai that propelled him to the No. 1 spot in the world, and his most recent title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2020.

“My goals are just to keep enjoying playing and enjoying playing on LIV,” he said. “I’m having a great time out there it has given me a second lease of life. After 30 years of playing tournament golf all being kind of the same tournaments, LIV is very different and I’m enjoying the change.”

He can also enjoy some home comforts when the International Series comes to town.

The post A ‘homecoming’ for Westwood as International Series heads for Close House appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Former world No. 5, Ian Poulter, will join his long-time friend and Majesticks GC co-captain Lee Westwood, in an ever-strengthening field for the upcoming International Series England at Close House from August 17th-20th.

The fifth tournament of The International Series 2023, and 11th on the Asian Tour, can expect the flamboyant fashionista to bring some colour to the famously monochromatic city of Newcastle, and not for the first time.

Poulter has dazzled golf fans at Close House previously – the Englishman put rounds of 66, 65, 68 and 70 together to finish tied-11th on his last competitive visit in 2017.

Now looking ahead to the hotly anticipated North-eastern showdown, Poulter said: “I always enjoy the opportunity to tee up on home turf and Close House is a fantastic venue where the crowds are packed with knowledgeable golf fans.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to witness some of the top talents of the Asian Tour first-hand in the [LIV Golf] League, especially Andy Ogletree who stepped in for Lee in DC and turned in a 62! So, I’m looking forward to my International Series debut.”

Nicknamed ‘The Postman’ for consistently delivering vital points for Team Europe in The Ryder Cup, the 47-year-old has 17 professional victories under his (often brightly coloured) belt.

Two of Poulter’s wins have come on the Asian Tour, including the 2009 Singapore Open and 2010 Hong Kong Open, the latter of which is now also among the ten International Series events contributing to the Asian Tour schedule in 2023.

Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are the definition of global golfers – having played, and won throughout the world. They are beloved by English golf fans, and anyone attending International Series England is in for a very special week.

“The International Series now regularly welcomes titans of the game, with Patrick [Reed], Eugenio [Chacarra] and Abraham [Ancer] all competing alongside Ian [Poulter] and Lee [Westwood] this August, demonstrating the strength of the Asian Tour right now.”

The post Poulter joins strong field at International Series England appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
Only 19 centuries or so after the 73-mile long Hadrian’s Wall was built to signify the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire, another native of the Italian capital has left his mark on the northeast of England.

With a final round of two-under-par 69 for a 72-hole total of 266, 18 under par for four circuits of the Close House course just outside Newcastle, Renato Paratore made off with the British Masters title. The 23-year old finished three shots clear of the highly promising Dane, Rasmus Hojgaard, with Justin Harding of South Africa third, one stroke farther back.

In nice touch at what was a spectator-free event, a group of Paratore’s fellow players formed a guard of honour with clubs raised in salute as he left the 18th green. And after an interview with Sky television, the world No. 270 was able to say hello via video link with his delighted mother back in Italy.

RELATED: Lee Westwood says he won’t play in PGA Championship

“I’m just really happy,” was Paratore’s immediate reaction to a victory even his all-conquering ancestors would surely have been pleased with. “I played really solid. I didn’t except to play this well so soon after the lock-out. But I have worked really hard over the last year.”

Indeed, it was a fine performance of some solidity from Paratore, whose only previous victory on the European Tour came at the 2017 Nordea Masters. Bogey-free over the first 64 holes, he made 20 birdies in all [only six of those on par 4s]. But his final round was not a totally stress-free day out in the picturesque Northumberland countryside. Standing on the 198-yard par-3 12th tee—statistically the most difficult hole on the course—Paratore had dropped two shots in his previous three holes and his lead was down to two. He passed the test, though, his long-iron [remember them?] tee-shot into the strong breeze finding the centre of the elusive putting surface en route to a steadying par.

RK
Renato Paratore plays his third shot from the 17h greenside bunker during final round of the British Masters.

“I didn’t think too much about not making a bogey for so long,” he claimed after moving up to sixth place on the season-long Race to Dubai. “If I did that, I would probably make one. So when it did come, I wasn’t too worried. The ninth hole was very difficult today because of the wind. Besides, I made birdie at the very next hole. My aim was just to play good and win the tournament. That conditions were tough helped me, of course. There were no really low scores. And I was playing well. So my focus was simply on staying ahead.”

That he did, early on courtesy of a deft short game. Having missed each of the first two greens in regulation, the fast-moving Italian—no one in the modern game takes less time to play—chipped close on both occasions.

RELATED: PGL reportedly talking to European Tour

Perhaps the only other moment of high stress was answered equally emphatically. Faced with a 15-foot putt for a birdie 4 on the penultimate green that would maintain his three-shot edge, Paratore—who putts with his glove on—holed out dead centre. It was a pure stroke worthy of the animated celebration that followed.

Still, while Paratore’s play over the four days was worthy of much praise, the field the Italian left in his wake was far from the strongest ever seen on the European Tour. In a sign of what will likely be at least the short-term future, only four of the top-50 finishers—Harding, defending champion Marcus Kinhult, Andrea Pavan and Eddie Pepperell—arrived at Close House ranked inside the world’s leading 150 golfers. And only two of Wednesday’s starting lineup, Pepperell and tournament host Lee Westwood, could boast rankings inside the top 85.

None of which will matter to the new champion in an event that boasts a star-studded cast of former winners: Tony Jacklin. Nick Faldo. Peter Thomson. Bobby Locke. Bob Charles. Seve Ballesteros. Greg Norman. Lee Trevino. Ian Woosnam. Colin Montgomerie. Sandy Lyle. Justin Rose. Lee Westwood. Bernhard Langer.

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