Lord of the Manor

The second ‘Major’ of the year is rapidly approaching. After a highly dramatic and entertaining US Masters, golf fans are now looking forward to the US Open, which will be held from June 16-19.

The best golfers from around the world will make up the field of 156 players who this year will battle it out for the $7,000,000 prize fund at the visually stunning Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

But, that is still in the future. There is still a lot of golf, a lot of dollars, euros and world ranking points up for grabs in the meantime as the golfing elite try and play their way into form ahead of the trip.

Sweden’s Alexander Noren shot a hugely composed final round of 70 to win the Saab Wales Open by two strokes at Celtic Manor at the weekend.

One shot clear overnight, the 28-year-old from Stockholm, cut a calm figure and looked in control throughout the final day, dropping only one shot on his way to the second European Tour victory of his career.

In the end he finished two clear of France’s Gregory Bourdy and his playing partner Anders Hansen, with his closest rivals unable to put him under any real pressure.

Meanwhile, Elliott Saltman provided a remarkable final day story as he produced a hole-in-one at 17 – for the second time this week. The Scot – banned for three months in January over his ball-marking – had come up with an ace at the same hole on Thursday and repeated the trick during a final round of 69 that saw him end in a tie for 12th. The feat had not happened on the European Tour since Eamonn Darcy in France 20 years ago.

Noren, who will be competing in his first US Open this year, will take tremendous confidence from this week, and confidence is a factor that needs to return to the defending champion at Congressional, Graeme McDowell, if he is to make a solid defence of his title.

McDowell slipped three places to eight in golf’s world rankings in the wake of a miserable weekend at the Saab Wales Open. The Ulsterman was just a shot off the pace at the halfway stage at Celtic Manor, but his hopes of victory were destroyed by a horrendous 81 on Saturday. He recovered his poise somewhat with a closing 71 on Sunday, but a 30th-place finish wasn’t good enough to maintain his fifth spot in the world ranking.

McDowell’s fall means that Memorial winner Steve Stricker, runner-up Matt Kuchar  and fifth-placed Rory McIlroy all move ahead of him.

Stricker admitted he had to dig deep to claim the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. At the event hosted by the great Jack Nicklaus on the course he built, Stricker finished on 16-under-par to beat Matt Kuchar and Brandt Jobe by a stroke and secure his 10th career title after an up and down final round. But a win, is a win, and he will now be installed as one of the favourites for the big one next week.

The new number one Luke Donald goes into a deserved week off after completing 10 Top10 finishes in a row with a seventh place in Ohio; unbelievable consistency from the Englishman once again and he must surely start as favourite to take home his first Major next week.

Padraig Harrington, who returns from a knee injury in Memphis this week, has dropped outside the top 50 for the first time since 1999. He will be desperate for a good week to kick-start his season and bring to an end what has been a disappointing period for the three-time Major champion.
 
Celtic Manor winner Noren has risen from 127th to 80th with his victory in South Wales.

This weekend in Memphis for the US Tour and the Italian Open for the European contingent give the players their last chance to arrive in Maryland in top form and with confidence high.

The US Open is the ultimate test; the courses are tough, par is once again a good score and poor shots are punished severely. In short, if you are not in full control of your game the US Open will find you out as it has been doing to players since it began.