Ross McGowan Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

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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After a topsy-turvy 11 years, Al Hamra-attached Ross McGowan finally has a second European Tour title to savour

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 04:32:33 +0000

Warren Little
Ross McGowan reacts to a birdie on the 18th hole that clinched his victory at the Italian Open.

By John Huggan
They started the closing 18 holes of the 77th Italian Open tied for the lead on 19 under par. And they were both level par for the final round when they came to the 72nd tee, still ahead of the chasing pack. So nothing had changed between Englishmen Ross McGowan and Laurie Canter, you might suppose.

Suppose again. This was a day of golf at the Chervò Club just outside Rome in which everything happened. And then some, as McGowan, who last won a European Tour event, the 2009 Madrid Masters, 11 years and 15 days earlier, finally finished first for a second time.

Consider this. By the time he reached the 7th tee, McGowan already had everything from an eagle to a double bogey on his card. And by the time the leading pair reached the turn in one-over-par 37, they had been caught by Germany’s Sebastian Heisele and South Africa’s Dean Burmester.

But only briefly. Birdies at the first two holes of the back nine took Canter clear.

But only briefly (2). By the 16th tee, McGowan had tied Canter again at 19 under, leading by just one shot from former Ryder Cup player Nicolas Colsaerts. A host of others were piled up two and three strokes back.

McGowan’s tee shot on the par-4 16th was, by his own admission, “horrendous,” the ball finishing way left of its intended target and in a bunker on the par-3 17th. From there, the 38-year-old found more sand, this time by the green on the hole he was supposed to be playing. And from there he holed out for birdie. Despite playing the hole immaculately for par, Canter was suddenly one behind.

Wow. @RossMcGowan ?

After a nervy day, he takes the lead in style with two holes to play.#ItalianOpen pic.twitter.com/XvpCibrjot

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 25, 2020

Still it wasn’t over. Canter’s tee shot to the short 17th finished eight feet from the flag, the ensuing birdie setting-up a fascinating climax, especially as Colsaerts was soon to be in the clubhouse on 19 under. Both protagonists required a birdie to claim victory on the 574-yard par 5. And it was McGowan who made it, again in a characteristically convoluted fashion.

After another dreadful tee-shot into the right rough, McGowan, the former English Amateur champion, laid-up short of the water fronting the distant green, then wedged to maybe 15 feet. In went what proved to be the decisive putt, Canter failing to get up-and-down for the matching birdie.

For the second time in a month, following the Portugal Masters, Canter had to settle for second place. Which was deserving of sympathy. After taking the lead with an opening round of 12-under 60, the 30-year-old was never out of first until McGowan made that “ridiculous” birdie at the 70th hole.

Warren Little
Laurie Canter started the Italian Open with a 12-under 60 on Thursday, but fell one shot shy come Sunday.

Not surprisingly, McGowan was more than a little emotional in the aftermath of his hard-earned victory. So far removed from the best season of his career (he almost made the 2010 European Ryder cup side after also finishing second at the 2009 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai), the seven-time Q-school attendee was almost speechless standing by the 18th green.

“I can’t believe it,” said McGowan, who in his previous 13 starts had finished no better than T-42 with five missed cuts. “I’m still trying to gather my words really. I hit the ball terrible today, but the putter kept me in it. My emotions were all over the place. After the double bogey on the fifth [where, after many extra waggles on the tee betrayed his uncertainty, his 3-iron found water left of the green] I felt like I had to birdie the [par-5] sixth. So to make eagle there was a big boost. That got things underway even if I was still hitting it all over the place.”

That was certainly true on the 16th, en route to what was surely the most unlikely birdie of McGowan’s closing 71.

“The tee shot on 16 was a shocker,” he said. “And the second shot wasn’t much better. But when I holed from the sand that gave me a bit of belief. To roll the putt in on 18 was magical, too. I knew Laurie and I were close pretty much all day, but I was expecting someone to come bursting through and shoot 23 or 24 under. But it never happened, which is a surprise. The pins today were pretty easy if you found the fairways. Unfortunately, I didn’t find many, which made it difficult.”

But not impossible.

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