Oliver Wilson Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Daniel Hillier, Oliver Wilson and Gunner Wiebe qualify for the 151st Open through the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 06:21:01 +0000

Luke Walker/Getty Images

Daniel Hillier, Oliver Wilson and Gunner Wiebe have qualified for The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool through the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.

Hillier shot a final round 66 at The Belfry to lift his first DP World Tour title on a ten-under-par total of 278 and secure the first available place at Hoylake. The New Zealander will make his second appearance in The Open after his debut at Royal St George’s two years ago.

Wilson and Wiebe finished joint runner-up together on an eight-under-par total of 280 to claim the two remaining places.

Wilson’s last-gasp birdie on the 72nd hole means that the Englishman will tee it up for the seventh time in The Open and the first time since 2019 at Royal Portrush, while Wiebe will make his debut in golf’s original championship after a superb final round 66.

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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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Scotland closest of MENA Tour stars in final Open qualifying but no fairytale return to Carnoustie

Kent Gray — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 08:24:36 +0000

Zane Scotland (file picture)

By Kent Gray
The dream of a third Open Championship appearance remains just that for Zane Scotland while the major hopes of two MENA Tour peers have also been dashed in final qualifying.

Scotland had hoped to make a return to Carnoustie for the 147th Open Championship via Tuesday’s final qualifying – 19 years after he becoming the youngest English player to qualify for the oldest major. But rounds of 70-72 at St Annes Old Links, while tidy scoring, left the 35-year-old on the outside looking in on the year’s final big. Scotland finished -2, 10 shots behind winner James Robinson and eight shots behind the two other players who qualified from the Lancashire qualifier, Marcus Armitage and Jack Green.

Elsewhere, Yas Links-attached Luke Joy finished well off the pace at Prince’s in Sandwich, Kent, scores of 79-77 seeing him finish +12 in a shared of 44th position, 16 shots behind winner Tom Lewis, the Englishman who hails from Nick Faldo’s old Welwyn City Garden G.C.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen punched his ticket to Carnostie for the July 19-22 Open at Prince’s but two members of Scotland’s coaching academy and MENA Tour players in waiting – Jack Yule (+1, T-10) and Louis Hirst (+11, T41) – suffered similar disappointment to Joy.

Englishman Stuart Archibald, another MENA Tour regular, retired from the Notts (Hollinwell) qualifier won by countryman Ashton Turner after signing for an opening 81.

Former English amateur international Turner won with a -6 aggregate, three strokes ahead of 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links champion Oliver Wilson who was one of seven Englishmen to advance on a memorable day capped by England exorcising their penalty shootout demons in advancing to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup.

England win on penalties & I’m off to @theopen ???????? What a day! Massive thanks to this legend on my bag & for everyone coming out to support me @nottsgolfclub loved every minute. The comeback continues.. pic.twitter.com/sKi2wHI9wK

— Oliver Wilson (@Oliver_Wilson) July 3, 2018

What a day, indeed. Even Scotland, a 10-time MENA Tour winner and the circuit’s first life member, paid tribute to Wilson afterwards.

Seeing/hearing this was even better than England winning a penalty shootout! Work is paying off…. no one works harder in golf than this guy. ??? https://t.co/vvqx6eIFWp

— Zane (@ZaneScotland) July 4, 2018

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Open Championship 2018: Retief Goosen earns a trip to Carnoustie the hard way, one of 12 to get in via Final Qualifying

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 07:09:17 +0000

By Ryan Herrington
It isn’t quite Golf’s Longest Day, where upwards of 70 people play their way into the U.S. Open via a dozen Sectional Qualifying sites. Still, 12 spots at this month’s Open Championship were on the line on Tuesday at four different sites in the U.K. in what’s dubbed by the R&A as Final Qualifying.

The most notable golfer to grab a tee time at Carnoustie: two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen. The 49-year-old South African shot rounds of 71-72 in windy conditions at Prince’s in Kent, England. With a bogey on his last hole, after birdies on his 34th and 35th, Goosen was nervous he might have cost himself the chance to play in his first Open since 2015 and the 19th of his career. But it turned out he was safely in.

“I am glad it played tough today, as I play better when it is difficult,” said Goosen, who has six top-10 Open finishes, including a T-5 in 2005 and 2009. “I drove the ball well, and my long putting in the wind was good. This will be my last Open as a regular tour player—next year I’ll be with the seniors—but I’m looking forward to it. Carnoustie is always tough but I’m sure it will be in great condition.”

Also advancing out of Prince’s was England’s Tom Lewis. In 2011, the then 20-year-old earned low amateur honors at Royal St. George’s with a T-30 showing. Shortly after he turned pro and was expected to make a big splash as a former British Boys’ champion. Carnoustie, however, will be Lewis’ first Open as a professional.

“I have been thinking about the Open for the last seven years,” said Lewis, who birdied four of his final eight holes to cap off a 72-68 performance. “I haven’t played since I was the leading amateur in 2011 at Royal St George’s and that’s why I came to qualify at Prince’s—this part of the world has been good to me. I’ve been close at Hillside the last few years but managed to mess up but I didn’t mess up today.”

Lewis also earned a spot in the field at the U.S. Open last month via sectional qualifying, but missed the cut at Shinnecock Hills.

Here is the complete list of players who advanced via Final Qualifying (20 players competing for three spots at each site):

Prince’s
Tom Lewis, England, 72-68
Haraldur Magnus, Iceland, 72-70
Retief Goosen, South Africa, 71-72

Notts (Hollinwell)
Ashton Turner, England, 72-66
Oliver Wilson, England, 72-69
Rhys Enoch, Wales, 72-70

St. Annes Old Links
James Robinson, England, 67-65
Marcus Armitage, England, 65-69
Jack Senior, England, 68-66

The Renaissance Club
Sam Locke (a), Scotland, 69-66
Grant Forrest, Scotland, 67-69
Thomas Curtis, England, 68-69

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