Weekly Tour Wrap-up #1st April

With two weeks left until the Masters, two of golf’s lesser lights made huge strides up the world ranking after brilliant performances in America and Morocco.

On the PGA Tour, a popular American secured his second PGA Tour title with a magnificent up and down on the 72^nd hole.

On the European Tour, a charismatic German went wire-to-wire to win his third professional tournament and his second in as many years.

Sensational Siem strolls home in Morocco

Marcel Siem shot a final-round 70 to record a 17-under-par 72-hole total and win the Trophee Hassan II by three shots from David Horsey and Mikko Ilonen at the Golf Du Palais Royal.

The German, who seems to have overcome his anger issues, looks to be fulfilling his huge potential after an eight-year victory hiatus between 2004 and 2012.

Siem started the tournament as he meant to go on, carding five birdies and two eagles en route to an opening round of eight-under-par 64.

He led by three from Spain’s Alvaro Velasco and four from the English trio of David Horsey, Graeme Story and Simon Wakefield after the conclusion of round one.

At the end of Friday’s play, the gap at the top of the leaderboard was still three shots.

Siem mixed seven birdies with three bogies to return a four under 68 and enter the final 36 holes on 12-under-par.

Horsey (67) and Fin Miko Ilonen (66) shared second place, with gregarious Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal alone in fourth place on eight-under-par.

He started the day way off the pace, but a 10-birdie 64 shot him up the leaderboard and into contention.

On Saturday, the 2012 French Open Champion made an inauspicious start, and his lead had been cut to just one after the first six holes.

But birdies at seven, nine, 10, 12 and 16, offset with a sloppy bogey at the par-5 17^th, saw him extend his advantage to four shots with one round to play.

His nearest challengers were Horsey, Larrazabal and Ilonen, the Fin dropping three shots over the closing six holes to fall back into a tie for second.

On Sunday, he struggled again at the start of the round, but birdies at five and seven saw him to the turn in 35.

At that point, though, he was only one shot clear.

Ilonen birdied three of his first four holes and added another at the par-4 seventh to turn in 32.

But he bogied the 10^th and doubled the 12^th, and a Siem birdie at 11 ensured the gap was five shots with six holes to play.

He made the obligatory birdie at 15, parred 16 and 17 and made a safe bogey at the 72^nd hole to complete his three-shot victory.

Dazzling D.A. triumphs in Houston

D.A. Points shot a closing 66 to record a 16-under-par 72-hole total and win the Shell Houston Open by one shot from Henrik Stenson and Billy Horschel at Redstone Golf Club.

It was Points’s second PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2011 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Using an old putter he took from his mother before the tournament, he opened with an eight-under-par 64, which included five straight birdies from the first hole.

He led by one from the in-form duo of John Rollins and Cameron Tringale, with two-time major champion Angel Cabrera a further shot back on six-under-par.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, stuttered to a 73, and swiftly added next week’s Valero Texas Open to his schedule ahead of the first major of the year.

On Friday, it was a Monday qualifier who made a move.

Steven Wheatcroft carded a second successive 67 to head into the weekend on 10-under-par, one clear of Points and Jason Kokrak, who chipped in twice.

The resurgent Stewart Cink shot up to fourth place with a second-round 66, one ahead of Bill Haas and six clear of McIlroy, who rallied with a 70 to make the cut by one shot.

At the end of Saturday’s play, the leaderboard was even more cluttered.

Cink – winless in 75 starts on the PGA Tour since his 2009 Open victory – carded a 68 and Haas a 67 and both headed into the final round on 11-under-par.

The American duo led Points, Wheatcroft, Kokrak and Ben Crane by one shot, with major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Keegan Bradley lurking just two off the pace.

Indeed, 15 players were within two shots of the lead as Sunday’s play got underway.

The lead changed numerous times during a weather-delayed final round, with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel and Kokrak all possessing the lead at one point or another.

But after the players came back onto the course after an hour delay, it was Points who was one clear.

His five-iron to the par-3 17^th came up 40 yards short, but he maintained his one-shot lead by chipping up to tap in range.

Up ahead, Stenson birdied the 18^th – his fourth in five holes – to join Horschel in the clubhouse on 14-under-par, and Points knew a par would be good enough for victory.

He found the fairway off the tee, but his hybrid from 231 yards failed to reach the green.

This time, his chip wasn’t so good, and he was left with a 13-footer to secure the title.

Points had missed seven of nine cuts in 2013 and hadn’t finished inside the top 60, but he bravely knocked the putt home to take the title by a shot.

Next week, the European tour takes a break, while the PGA Tour stays in the south-west for the Valero Texas Open – the last tournament before the Masters.