Made in Himmerland Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Rasmus Højgaard seals Made in HimmerLand win in epic playoff

Clarkwin — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 20:50:29 +0000

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Home favourite Rasmus Højgaard won Made in Himmerland 2023 in a six-hole play-off to become the tournament’s first Danish winner in its last-ever staging.

Højgaard held off Nacho Elvira after coming from seven shots behind to finish level with the Spaniard on 13 under par.

“I’m speechless at the moment,” Højgaard said afterwards. “To be fair, I didn’t think I’d end up in a play-off – it’s quite amazing. To win a home event, it’s amazing.

“It isn’t that long ago that I was one of those kids trying to get balls and signed gloves, so it’s cool to see them out here supporting us.

“This is better than I could ever dream of. We’ve wanted a Danish winner for so long now, so to be the first one to do it is amazing.”

It was Højgaard’s fourth DP World Tour win and extended his perfect record in play-offs, having won the 2019 AFRASIA BANK Mauritius Open and the following year’s ISPS HANDA UK Championship in the same manner.

Elvira began the day one shot clear of Robert MacIntyre, with Richie Ramsay a further shot back, but started with a three-putt bogey.

Kalle Samooja and Højgaard had both moved within a shot of the lead alongside Ramsay, Højgaard with four birdies in six holes on the front nine while Samooja birdied three of the first five.

MacIntyre birdied the fourth to take the lead as Elvira’s birdie putt lipped out as he was already shaping for a celebratory fist pump.

Both players birdied the par-five fifth but Højgaard and Ramsay came back at them.

Elvira saw another putt horseshoe out, a tremendous left-to-right effort from the fringe of the ninth green, where MacIntyre hit his approach to two feet to secure a birdie and a two-shot lead at the turn.

Elvira hit back at the tenth but when he bogeyed the 13th and MacIntyre ran up a triple after finding trouble down the right, Højgaard’s long birdie putt at the last saw him sharing the lead with Ramsay and Elvira.

Ramsay birdied the short 16th to go one shot ahead and MacIntyre and Elvira both bogeyed the 15th – though the Spaniard responded by birdieing the 16th and sneaking an 11-foot birdie putt at the next into the side of the hole.

Ramsay found the left-hand rough off the final tee and then put his second in the water hazard, the resulting double-bogey meaning a third-place finish at 12 under.

That opened the door to Elvira, whose tee shot split the fairway, but he went through the green and mishit his third from the fringe of a bunker, needing a long two-putt just to earn a playoff.

Højgaard got up and down from the bunker to par the first playoff hole and take it to a second, where Elvira did likewise.

Højgaard’s pin-high approach third time round gave him the advantage but his putt shaved the hole, and they shared the next two holes as well.

At the sixth extra hole, though, Elvira flew his second shot out of bounds into the practice grounds leaving Højgaard to two-putt for a victory which lifts him from 67th to 12th on the Race to Dubai Presented by Rolex.

Elvira had some consolation as he took one of them took the three Open Championship places on offer to the highest finishers not already exempt. The others went to Samooja and Marc Warren, who shared fourth place with MacIntyre and Alexander Björk on 11 under.

Matthew Southgate shot 61, the best round of the week, to finish nine under. The Englishman was threatening a 59 after a run of five straight birdies to the 17th but, needing another at the last, he instead sent his tee-shot into the water and made a bogey five.

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Nacho Elvira holds lead after final-hole drama in HimmerLand

Clarkwin — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 04:36:01 +0000

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Nacho Elvira will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of Made in HimmerLand 2023 after a closing double bogey gave hope to the chasing pack.

Playing in the final group with Robert MacIntyre, Elvira at one point opened up a three-stroke lead but a tee shot into the water at the last brought MacIntyre and fellow Scot Richie Ramsay back within striking distance.

At 13 under par, the Spaniard leads by one from MacIntyre with Ramsay a shot further back.

“I did play really well,” Elvira said after a four-under-par round of 66.

“The 18th tee shot was a bad swing and I can take a bad swing. It’s okay, it’s a good round of golf.

“I haven’t been putting great this season and it seems this week, it’s working out my way. I’m hitting it really well so I’m leaving myself closer chances for birdie, which helps a lot. I’m very pleased with my putting.”

Elvira had played Friday’s first seven holes in six under par and for the second day running he hit his opening approach inside a foot for a tap-in birdie.

MacIntyre got up and running with a perfect uphill approach to set up a birdie at the fourth, adding another at the par-five next which was matched by Elvira.

Both players made a further gain at the eighth to turn in 32, leaving Elvira one ahead at 12 under – but that turned around at the tenth as the Spaniard made a bogey four after missing the green while MacIntyre holed from 24 feet for birdie.

Elvira bounced back with birdie at the 11th, matched by his playing partner, and led once more after responding to MacIntyre’s first dropped shot of the day at the 12th by birdieing the 13th.

Ramsay had by that point joined MacIntyre at 12 under as the 14th brought him his sixth birdie in seven holes, which included holing putts of 41 feet at the ninth and 33 at the 13th. MacIntyre, though, birdied the 14th along with Elvira as they nudged ahead once more.

MacIntyre went over the back of the 16th on HimmerLand Hill and was unable to rein in his par putt from the fringe, costing him a two-shot swing as Elvira made a birdie to move three clear.

But Elvira found water off the last tee and came dangerously close again as his approach spun back off the green. He made a good up and down to limit the damage to a double bogey, enough to retain his lead as MacIntyre’s difficult birdie putt broke just too much.

MacIntyre, runner-up by a stroke to Bernd Wiesberger at this event four years ago, said: “When you’re out in the final group on a Saturday it’s just about staying in the fight.

“We were going toe to toe for a wee while there, it felt a bit like 2019 against Bernd again, but I’m in a good position going into tomorrow and that’s all we can look for.

“Tomorrow it’s just go out and play golf and hopefully it falls my way.”

Ramsay’s 65 was a shot better than the leading pair as he bounced back from a bogey at the fourth with seven birdies before another dropped shot at the last.

“That bogey hurt on four, especially where the pin was and being in the middle of the fairway,” he said.

“You’ve just got to to be patient and positive, the two Ps, just kept that in my mind and luckily I had a nice par five coming up.

“Chip missed there for eagle, made birdie which just boosted the confidence. Went on a nice little run from there and felt really good.

“Disappointed with bogey at the last, that was a poor chip, but the last is not playing easy at all.”

Marc Warren made it three Scots in the top five as he shared fourth place with Dutchman Daan Huizing on nine under.

Fabrizio Zanotti and David Micheluzzi shot 62s, the joint best rounds of the day and the week, to join a group at eight under alongside Alexander Bjork, who went round in 63, Marcel Siem and Kalle Samooja.

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Nacho Elvira rides flying start to halfway lead in HimmerLand

Clarkwin — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 22:40:29 +0000

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Nacho Elvira fired his way to the top of the 2023 Made in HimmerLand leaderboard after a front-nine birdie blitz.

Elvira was six under for his second round through seven holes, finishing with an eight-under-par 62 and nine under for the tournament – one shot ahead of first-round leader Robert MacIntyre.

He birdied the first hole after sending his approach over the water to within a foot and added to it in spectacular fashion with five in a row from the third.

The Spaniard’s approach play was a constant in that run of success, with his tee-shots at the par-three third and sixth both to within four feet while his six-and-a-half-foot effort at the fifth was the longest putt he holed all day.

“That was what I call a quick start,” he said.

“From one to seven, I hit the ball really, really well. I hit it really close to a foot on one, to two feet on three, three feet on four, so the golf was really good from one to six. Then I tried to be patient and managed to get two or three more birdies on the scorecard and I did.”

The 11th brought the only dropped shot of his round but he immediately recovered it at the next – courtesy of another five-foot putt – before also birdieing the 14th and 17th from similarly close range.

“[On the 11th] it says a par five on the scorecard but it’s not, it’s a par six,” he insisted. “I’m happy with a bogey there. It’s just a very tough hole. It’s playing into the wind, it’s very long and even though it’s a par five, it’s not a gimme.

“Today is a really good day but things are turning around. It’s been a tough season, very slow, changing many things, many things have been happening in my life, but I’m pleased with where I’m at.”

MacIntyre added a 68 to his opening 64 to stay on the tail of Elvira.

The left-hander birdied the 14th, 15th and 17th holes for the second day in succession as he started on the back nine, with his only dropped shot coming at the seventh.

Ross Fisher ended the day two shots off the lead for the second day in succession as six birdies but three bogeys saw him add a 67 to his opening 66.

That included a remarkable escape from deep rough at the seventh, his 16th hole, and he said: “I’m pleased with the three under. To be honest, it didn’t feel like I played anywhere near as good as yesterday. Today was a little bit scrappy in places.

“I think if you would have offered me level par for where I hit it off the tee on seven, eight and nine, I probably would have taken it. To sign for three under, seven under total, I’m very pleased.”

As it stands after two rounds, Elvira, Fisher and Marc Warren would claim the three Open Championship places on offer to players not yet exempt but Fisher is determined not to let his focus wander.

“I’m here first and foremost to play in this tournament. If I do play well if that means winning or having a top ten, hopefully, the rest of it takes care of itself,” he said.

What a recovery ?@RossFisher with a vital birdie at the end of the day to keep himself solo 3️⃣rd#MIH23 pic.twitter.com/trWGhjh7Al

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 7, 2023

“So, no, I’m not really thinking about Open Championship qualifying. I’m just thinking about this tournament.

“It’s been a long time since I won an event (the 2014 Tshwane Open), but there’s a long way to go. We’re two rounds down, two more to go. A lot of good players out there.”

Warren, the 2014 champion, and fellow Scot Richie Ramsay shot 64s to climb to six under and share fourth place.

Warren birdied the first four holes as he and Ramsay each had seven gains and a solitary bogey on the day.

There were 64s too for German duo Freddy Schott and Marcel Siem, who moved to five under alongside Dutchman Daan Huizing, who shot 68.

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Watch former Ryder Cupper Oliver Wilson hole two 65-foot birdie putts to end eight-year victory drought on DP World Tour

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 08:25:37 +0000

By Ryan Herrington
Oliver Wilson promised himself he wouldn’t cry if he pulled out the victory on Sunday in Denmark. But the 41-year-old Englishman was understandably overcome with emotions after hanging on to win the DP World Tour’s Made in HimmerLand tournament and ending a nearly eight-year victory drought.

“I was so confident. I knew I could get the job done,” Wilson said through tears after posting a four-under 67 to finish at 21-under 263, one shot clear of Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson. “Everything I’ve done to this point to rebuild my game, I knew I could do it. I was so in control. And I was so calm there, I almost enjoyed the last hole.”

It wasn’t just that he finally grabbed his second DP World Tour title — his first coming at the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links, but how he did it in the final round. Wilson started the day tied for the lead with Matthew Southgate, Ross McGowan and Francesco Laporta at 17-under, but struggled to keep up by making only one birdie on his first 11 holes. Wilson lamented afterward that he had missed some short makeable putts, but he got pay back on the 13th hole.

From 66ft! ?@Oliver_Wilson moves to -19 and one off the lead.#MIH22 pic.twitter.com/eME0UvxwEj

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 4, 2022

Rolling in a 66-footer for birdie, Wilson now got to two-under on the day and 19-under total, one off the lead.

Wilson made a far more routine birdie on the 16th hole to tie for the lead, and then found more magic on the par-4 17th.

From 65ft!?@Oliver_Wilson holes a huge birdie putt to take a one-shot lead to the 18th. #MIH22 pic.twitter.com/MlsTp5cQ2n

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 4, 2022

Seriously, to get one bomb like that to fall in a given round, let alone a week, is fortunate. To get two to fall on the back nine on a Sunday, well that’s just fate or destiny.

Wilson now led by one over Ferguson, who charged up the leaderboard with a closing 66, with one hole to play. He then proceeded to split the fairway on the par-4 18th and hit his approach to 20 feet of the hole. A simple two-putt par locked up the title.

Wilson was a college All-American at Augusta State who turned pro in 2003 and played well enough to qualify for the 2008 European Ryder Cup team that lost to the Americans at Valhalla. His game faded, though, and he lost his DP World Tour card in 2011. He was playing on a sponsor’s invitation when he won the Dunhill, earning his way back to the tour.

Again, he’d been struggling in recent years, but felt like he was putting in the right work to succeed once more, despite only one top-15 finish in 20 starts.

“From the outside looking in, there’s not a lot to shout about,” Wilson said, “but there has been a lot of good stuff this year and I just haven’t been able to put it all together. I missed chance after chance today and I hit it so good. I just stayed patient, I knew what this course could do, it’s tricky”.

The victory jumped Wilson to 29th on the DP World Tour year-long ranking, and earned him a spot into next week’s BMW PGA Championship.

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DP World Tour: Oliver Wilson holds off Ewen Ferguson for Made in Himmerland glory

Matt Smith — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 04:00:17 +0000

By GolfDigestME.com
Oliver Wilson holed two enormous birdie putts on the back nine on Sunday to win the 2022 Made in Himmerland by one shot and claim his second DP World Tour title almost eight years after winning his first.

Ewen Ferguson had looked on course to secure his third victory of the season after shooting a closing 66 to set the clubhouse target at 20-under par.

But Wilson, playing in the final group, finished with a flourish in Farso, holing from 66 feet at the 13th, 14 feet on the 16th and 64 feet at the 17th to leapfrog the Scot and take a one-shot lead to the 18th tee.

He safely parred the last to sign for a 67, finish the tournament on 21-under and return to the winner’s circle for the first time at this level since the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Wilson came into the week searching for his first top-10 finish on the DP World Tour since the 2019 edition of this event, when he came joint-fourth.

An emotional Wilson expressed pride in himself after getting the job done.

Fighting back tears in his post-round interview, he said: “I was so confident. I knew I could get the job done. Everything I’ve done to this point to rebuild my game, I knew I could do it.

“And I was so in control, and I said I wasn’t going to cry. I was so calm there. I almost enjoyed the last hole.

“It’s pretty special. I’m so proud of myself. I feel like there’s a lot ahead of me and I’m so pleased to get win number two.

“I love this place. I’ve done well here before.

“My game has been trending in the right direction. There’s been a lot of good stuff this year, I just haven’t been able to put it all together.

“I guess 18 years’ experience gets you to hang in there. And to get over the line, it feels good. It feels so good.”

Ferguson finished alone in second on 20 under, two shots ahead of Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen in solo third.

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DP World Tour: Fight to the finish in Himmerland as four share lead

Matt Smith — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 08:06:35 +0000

Oliver Wilson. DPWT

By GolfDigestME.com
It is all to play for heading into the final day of Made in Himmerland as four players share the third round lead, with English trio Ross McGowan, Oliver Wilson and Matthew Southgate joined by Italy’s Francesco Laporta at the summit on 17-under.

Packed crowds enjoyed moving day at Himmerland, where Englishman Matthew Jordan equalled the course record with a nine-under 62 to move to within one shot of the lead on 16-under, while American John Catlin delighted the fans with a hole-in-one at the 16th — known as Himmerland Hill.

The spectators witnessed another remarkable hole-out for Southgate, whose second shot on the par four first hole dropped into the cup for an eagle two. His six-under 65 was matched by former Ryder Cup player Wilson, who could have led outright only for back-to-back bogeys on the final two holes.

McGowan, the outright leader after both of the opening two rounds, signed for a two-under 69 while Laporta carded a three-under 68.

Jordan held fifth place on his own while Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, Tom Lewis of England and South African Justin Walters were a shot further back on 15-under.

“It was a tricky day out there today,” said McGowan. “The first two rounds, especially when playing in the morning groups didn’t really have any wind. The wind had picked up to 20 miles per hour, so you were almost starting your line on the trouble to try get it close.

“So on most holes I was trying to just play to the middle of the green, and I struggled with the speed as well to be honest. Yesterday they were really quick in the morning but this afternoon they had slowed up a bit — struggled to get a few to the hole early on and then started hitting them too hard. Hopefully tomorrow my speed will be better.

“I’ve been playing nicely for a few weeks even though the results haven’t shown it. I know where the ball is going off the tee and my iron shots and wedges have been really good. The last two or three weeks have been good, I didn’t play much over the summer as my wife and I had a baby girl, so had some nice time off although I missed a few big events.

“But since coming back I’ve been improving every week and hopefully the form will continue until the end of the season.

“It’s a bunched leaderboard, four tied for the lead, anybody can win it really. Looks like the wind is going to pick up again tomorrow throughout the day so somebody who is on 11 or 12 under with a low round has a chance.”

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DP World Tour: McGowan holds firm at the top in Denmark

Matt Smith — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 10:48:31 +0000

By GolfDigestME.com
Ross McGowan will take a one-stroke lead into the weekend at Made in HimmerLand, after the Englishman holed a 12-foot birdie putt at the final hole to edge ahead of the pack in Denmark.

The two-time DP World Tour winner had also birdied his final hole on day one to hold the first round lead, and he opened with a birdie at the first in round two – the first of six in a five under front nine – before a one under back nine of 34 earned him a six under round of 65.

That moved him to a 15-under total, one clear of his compatriot Richard Mansell and Italy’s Francesco Laporta, both of whom have carded back-to-back 64s for 14-under totals.

Marcus Helligkilde and Søren Kjeldsen lead the home charge as the Danes share fourth place with England’s Tom Lewis and in-form Scot Ewen Ferguson on 12 under, three shots off the pace.

“It was good, I played pretty solid early doors although I mis-clubbed a couple of times as the weather started getting warmer, and I didn’t adjust quick enough so I made a silly bogey at six,” McGowan said. “But I bounced back will with a few birdies to close the front nine and then a couple of silly mistakes on the back nine and a couple of bogeys, but I finished well.

“It’s good, I’m looking forward to the weekend and hopefully I can put together a few rounds similar to the first two.”

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DP World Tour: Danish stars thrill HimmerLand crowds as McGowan leads

Matt Smith — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 05:28:44 +0000

By Matt Smith
The Danish fans were holding out hope for a homegrown champion of the 2022 Made in HimmerLand in Farso.

A whole host of local players were lurking near the top of the leaderboard, with Rasmus Hojgaard and Marcus Helligkilde leading the charge just one shot back from Ross McGowan’s first-round lead.

Englishman McGowan finished with a flourish late in the day with an eagle on the eighth, his penultimate hole, followed by a closing birdie at the ninth to storm into the early lead on nine-under courtesy of a 62.

But the story of the day for the bustling crowds at HimmerLand was the collective performance of their beloved Danish stars — five of them placed within three strokes of the summit.

Hojgaard came agonisingly close to joining McGowan at the top as his lengthy birdie putt on the 18th came with inches of dropping, but an eight-under 63 left in a share of second place alongside compatriot Helligkilde, as well as Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, England’s Matt Southgate and Justin Walters of South Africa.

MORE: DP World take steps ahead of LIV Golf stars’ arrival at BMW PGA Championship

Four-time DP World Tour winner Soren Kjelden was a shot further back on seven under, while Niklas Norgaard Moller and Lucas Bjerregaard were among the bunch of players tied for 13th position on six-under.

“I felt like it’s been getting better the last few weeks but it’s nice to finally put a round together and hopefully I can keep it going for the next three days,” leader McGowan said.

Hojgaard added: “I’m happy about that, I played well today, holed a few good putts to keep the round going so I’m very happy to shoot eight-under.

“It’s amazing out there, you’re getting clapped every time you go on the green. I was smiling all day, I just enjoyed it. We were feeding off each other out there, Richard (Mansell) was playing really well and I felt like I had to step it up as well so it was nice to have all of us shoot a decent score.

“I recognised a lot of faces out there but I just tried to stay focused and not get too excited about the people in the crowd.”

Helligkilde agreed with his compatriot on the crowd: “Eight-under is always good and especially back home here in Denmark. I love this place at HimmerLand, such a great atmosphere here and I’m very pleased with the round today as well as the support on the course from all my friends.

“It’s unbelievable, I would say 90 per cent of the people on the course today, I know them. I’m not a superstar like the (Hojgaard) twins just yet, so it’s very nice to have people come out and cheer me on, I love it.”

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Luke Donald keeps a close eye on his Team Europe Ryder Cup prospects on DP World Tour

Matt Smith — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:32:00 +0000

By Matt Smith
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will get his first chance to keep an eye on his 2023 prospects when he tees it up at the Made In Himmerland event on the DP World Tour this week.

The Englishman recently took over from Henrik Stenson at Europe’s captain for the tournament against the best in the United States when they assemble at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome in September next year.

After consulting on a selection process that will see him have six picks along with three qualifiers from each of the European and World Points Lists, he is now eager to see his potential charges in action, starting at Himmerland.

“I wanted to be over in Europe a little more and obviously I’ll be there next week and in Italy as well, but this week was a great chance to come over here and spend a little bit of time with my Vice Captains Thomas Bjorn and Edoardo Molinari as they’re both in the field,” he said.

“I’ve always supported the DP World Tour and have been a full Member for many years now, but I’ll be over in Europe a little bit more and keeping an eye on some of the players – playing with some of the guys that I haven’t played with or known very well.

“Those up-and-coming stars who might have an opportunity to make a Ryder Cup, and I haven’t seen their game yet. It’s important, the last month since I’ve taken this job I’ve been following the scores a little more closely, but it’s nice to be in the tournaments with them, see how they’re acting, see how they’re playing. Nothing beats actually being there rather than watching from home so it’s a great opportunity for me.

“There will be some changes this year obviously, we’ve gone for three players off the European Points List and three from the World Points List and six picks. It’s certainly a little bit of a change from past years but certainly myself and Edoardo especially, we did a deep dive into some statistical analysis and really thought this was going to give us the best opportunity to have the strongest team for Rome.

“It will give me some flexibility to create some great pairings, and to have the most in-form players available for a pick next September.”

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