Weekly Tour Wrap Up #10th Sep

The BMW Championship and KLM Open were contested last week, with two members of the European Ryder Cup team reigning supreme in events with exceptionally strong fields.

On the European Tour, a vastly improved Swede won his first title of the season despite almost withdrawing from the tournament on Friday after his son was admitted to hospital.

On the PGA Tour, a prodigious young Northern Irishman won his second consecutive play-off event with another flawless performance in a field containing the world’s best.

McIlroy Majestic at Crooked Stick

Rory McIlroy shot a closing 67 to edge out a host of world class golfers and win the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick in Indiana, his second PGA Tour title in as many weeks.

McIlroy now heads to the Tour Championship at East Lake as number one in the Fed-Ex Cup standings, knowing a victory will guarantee him the trophy and a $10m bonus.

He was in contention all the way through the third Fed-Ex Cup play-off event, opening up with an eight-under-par 64 to share the lead with Indiana-born Bo Van Pelt, US Open Champion Webb Simpson and Canadian Graeme DeLaet as players took advantage of the soft conditions.

Playing partner Tiger Woods was a shot back on seven-under-par after mixing nine birdies with two bogeys for a Thursday 65.

It was Vijay Singh who took the 36-hole lead, however, firing a six-under-par 66 to go alongside his opening 65.

Ominously, Woods and McIlroy were just a shot back alongside Ryan Moore, with Lee Westwood two adrift on 11-under-par. Four of the world’s current or previous number ones sat inside the top six heading into the weekend.

Vijay maintained his position atop the leaderboard after a Saturday 69, but was joined by Phil Mickelson, who shot through the field with an exceptional ten-birdie 64.

Woods lost some ground after shooting a 71, but McIlroy remained one back on 15-under-par with a 69, tied for third place with Westwood, who shot a 68.

Dustin Johnson and Adam Scott completed the star-studded top five, moving to 14-under-par with rounds of 67 and 66 respectively.

On Sunday, McIlroy birdied two and five to reach 17-under-par, but Mickelson replicated his start to maintain a one-stroke lead with a third of the final round complete.

Mickelson offset a bogey at seven with a birdie at nine to stay at 18-under-par alongside Westwood, but McIlory, who birdied nine and 10, now held a one-stoke advantage on 19-under-par.

Woods, meanwhile, turned in 35 to sit five back, but playing partner Dustin Johnson chipped in for eagle to reach 17-under-par with nine holes to play.

Birdies were few and far between on the back nine, but Robert Garrigus propelled himself to 18-under-par, two back at that point, with birdies at 14,15 and 16. McIlroy edged away, though, after a pair of birdies and 15 and 16 took him to 21-under-par.

Mickelson retained some hope of catching the Ulsterman with birdies at 15 and 16, but a bogey on the long par-3 17^th essentially put paid to his chances.

McIlroy would bogey 18 to fall back to 20-under-par, but was crowned champion after Mickelson failed to hole his second to the par-4 18^th. He finished two clear of Westwood and Mickelson, with Woods and Garrigus a shot further back on 17-under-par.

The PGA Tour takes a break next week before the Tour Championship, but the European Tour heads to Tuscany for the Italian Open, with both Molinari brothers in action.

Hanson triumphs in Holland

Peter Hanson shot a closing 67 to win the KLM Open at Hilversumsche Golf Club by two shots from Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal and last week’s winner Richie Ramsay and move to number 23 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The stocky Swede came close to withdrawing on Monday, however, after hearing his one-year-old son had been diagnosed with a respiratory virus, but continued after receiving positive news about his child’s condition.

Scoring was modest on Thursday afternoon, with most of the good scores coming from the afternoon starters. Englishman Graeme Storm, needing a good week to retain his card, lead the way after an opening seven-under-par 63, two clear of Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin, Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti and 2010 champion Martin Kaymer, who hadn’t recorded a top ten since April.

Storm extended his lead to three shots after a firing a Friday 66, with Gonzalo Fernanzez-Castano, Hanson and Scott Jamieson in a tie for second place on eight-under-par.

Larrazabal sat five off the pace after a 65 alongside Ryder Cup wildcard Nicolas Colsaerts, who played with European captain Jose Maria Olazabal for the first two rounds.

Storm would be joined atop the leaderboard after round three, however. Larrazabal, who has been struggling with the putter all season, found some form with the flat stick on the back nine, making birdies at five of his last six holes en route to a 64 and a tie for the lead on 12-under-par.

His compatriot, Fernandez-Castano, also joined the lead with one round remaining courtesy of a six-birdie 66, with Jamieson carding the same score to complete the quartet.

Hanson was one back on 11-under-par, two clear of Omega European Masters Champion Ramsay.

The leaders made nervy starts on Sunday and were soon caught by the chasing pack. Jameson and Storm made three bogeys and no birdies to turn in 38 and drop back to nine-under-par, with Fernandez-Castano falling to 11 under.

Larrazabal, however, reached the turn with a one-shot lead over Hanson after bouncing back from a bogey at the first with birdies and three and nine.

The roles were reversed when Hanson birdied 12 and Larrazabal bogied 10, but the Swede dropped shots at 13 and 14 to fall two behind after a Larrazabal birdie at 14.

Up ahead, Ramsay birdied three of his last four holes to set the clubhouse target on 12-under-par.

Hanson would reach that mark with a birdie at 15, and when Larrazabal bogied 16, there was a three-way tie for the lead.

Both players parred 17, but Hanson holed a sensational eagle-putt putt on the last green to open up a two-shot gap.

Standing on the 18^th tee, only Larrazabal could catch the Ryder Cup star, but he was only able to make par, and Hanson could celebrate the end of traumatic week with a fifth European Tour victory.