Weekly Tour Wrap Up #29th Oct

The increasing expansion to the east was highlighted last week as both tours contested tournaments in Asia, with local galleries treated to high levels of excitement from some of the best players in the game.

On the European Tour, a neglected Ryder Cup star bounced back in style by holding off the world number one and winning for the second time this season.

On the PGA Tour, a former World Golf Champion shot a blistering final-round 61 to surge through the field and win his second event of the season.

Hanson champion in China

Swede Peter Hanson shot a final round 67 to record a 21-under-par 72-hole total and win the inaugural BMW Masters by one stroke from Rory McIlroy at Shanghai’s Lake Malaren Golf Club.

Englishmen Luke Donald and Ian Poulter finished in third and fourth place respectively, with Portugal Masters winner Shane Lowry alone in fifth on 16-under-par.

Despite opening with a six-under-par 66, Hanson found himself with ground to make up after round one.

Welshman Jamie Donaldson shot a brilliant ten-birdie 62 in soft conditions to equal the course record and open up a four-stroke lead over the Swede and Italian Francesco Molinari.

The Irish Open champion stumbled in round two, though, and Hanson took full advantage. He bogeyed the first, but responded with nine birdies over the next 14 holes to shoot 64 and reach 14-under-par after 36 holes.

He led by two from McIlroy, who carded a bogey-free 65, and by three from Robert Karlsson, who birdied seven of his first 11 holes en route to a 64.

Hanson, the only member of the European Ryder Cup team to record no points, was clearly nervous playing alongside McIlroy, and turned in one-over-par to lose his outright lead.

He recovered well on the back nine, though, and came home in 33 to lead McIlroy (69) but one shot on 16-under-par heading into the weekend.

South African George Coetzee moved into third place on 13-under-par after a fine Saturday 66, two clear of a six-strong group on 11 under, including Justin Rose and Luke Donald.

On Sunday, Hanson, who many expected to crumble, made the dream start. He birdied the second to calm his nerves and extend the lead to two, which then became four after McIlroy unexpectedly bogeyed four and five.

He bounced back with birdies at six and nine, but entered the back nine three behind.

Hanson was playing some great golf and made three birdies in a row from the 11^th, and despite the Ulsterman playing the same stretch in two-under-par, the deficit had become four.

Hanson would add another at the par-5 15^th but McIlroy made a timely eagle, and when he followed it with a birdie at 16, the tournament was back on.

Both players parred the tough 17, meaning a McIroy birdie and a Hanson bogey would result in a play-off.

Such a scenario looked entirely plausible after their two second shots. McIlroy found the green some 15 feet from the cup, but Hanson’s ball plugged in the face of the bunker.

He wasn’t given relief and did extremely well to chip to ten feet, and after McIlroy narrowly missed his birdie attempt, the Swede calmly two putted for the victory, moving him to a career-high 17^th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Watney Majestic in Malaysia

Nick Watney shot a final round 61 to post a 22-under-par 72-hole total and clinch the CIMB Classic by one shot from Robert Garrigus and Bo van Pelt at Malaysia’s Mines Resort and Country Club.

Tiger Woods, Brendon de Jonge and Chris Kirk finished in a share of fourth place on 19-under-par, with Swede Carl Pettersson alone in seventh one shot further back.

The tournament was characterized by supremely low scoring, and Troy Matteson got the ball rolling with an opening eight-under-par 63 to lead by one from Garrigus, Jeff Overton and rookie Brian Harman.

It was Garrigus who made the Friday move. He shot to the top of the leaderboard with eight birdies in a blistering 11 hole stretch and, despite a closing bogey, carded a second successive 64 to head into the weekend two clear on 14-under-par.

South African Jbe Kruger outscored playing partner Woods to sit in second place after two rounds, with first round pacesetter Matteson and Australian Greg Chalmers in a tie for third on 10-under-par.

The leaderboard had a different look after round three, though, thanks largely to last week’s winner Van Pelt.

The American came flying out of the blocks and recorded nine birdies in his first 11 holes. Two more would follow on the 16^th and 17^th, and a birdie at the last would have seen him become only the sixth player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59.

He would make double instead, but his 62 was enough for a share of the lead with Garrigus (69) after three rounds.

On Sunday, low scoring was again the order of the day, and it was Nick Watney who came from the pack to secure a memorable victory after a remarkable 10-under-par 61.

The Barclays champion birdied his first two holes and parred the next three before making nine birdies in 12 holes from the sixth.

Like Van Pelt, he stood on the 18^th tee knowing a birdie would give him the number all golfers dream about.

Sadly, his drive found a divot in the rough and he wasn’t able to get up and down for par, but it turned out to be inconsequential, as those behind couldn’t make the birdies they needed to force a play-off.

During the tournament it was also announced the CIMB Classic would be a fully sanctioned PGA Tour event as of 2013, hading yet another boost to a continent with a growing affinity for golf.

Next week, the PGA and European tours converge at the WGC-HSBC Champions, where Martin Kaymer defends.