Nordic golfers shine at USPGA

Robert Karlsson and Anders Hansen provided Scandinavian golf with its best ever showing in a major this past week.
Swede Robert Karlsson and Dane Anders Hansen provided Scandinavian golf with probably its best ever showing in a major this past week.
Hansen shot a final-round four-under-par 66 to finish in third place at the USPGA Championship, one agonising shot off the score that sent eventual winner Keegan Bradley and fellow American Jason Dufner into a play-off, while Karlsson finished joint-fourth, three shots off the pace.
The duo came as close as any Scandinavian golfer has ever come to winning one of golf’s four biggest prizes, but ultimately fell just short.
At one stage Karlsson was seriously threatening, having eagled the 12th to move only one shot off the pace.
In the end, the Swede notched up a top-10 finish to give himself the record of having finished in the top-10 of all four majors in his career.
Karlsson, a former European No 1 who switched to the PGA Tour this year, felt that this time around was his best opportunity yet.
“After today, it’s probably the first time I can say to myself, ‘I am good enough to win one of these’. Obviously it helps to know I’ve played against them many, many times and that I have beaten them on several occasions,” he said according to Reuters.
Despite coming so close, Hansen still took many positives away from his performance at Atlanta Athletic Club.
“I’m very proud of myself. Obviously you play a major, it’s tough, the course is set up tough. I thought my ball striking has been good all week,” he said.
“I played really, really solid from tee to green and the putting has been pretty solid. It has not been magnificent but it’s been pretty solid so all in all, it’s good for my confidence. It’s good for the future.”
Coming off a birdie on 17, Hansen had an outside chance at birdie at the 18th to join the play-off, but it didn’t drop.
“I managed to birdie 17, and you know, on 18, we put it out there behind the pin, and I don’t know how long the putt was, but I told my caddie: ‘This is it, this is what we have been working for, and now we have a chance’.
“I told him to give me a good line and I hit it on the line, but it was a mis-read, but still it’s a tough hole is 18, you don’t really expect to birdie that one.”
Latest
-
European Tour
Keith Pelley hits back at 16 players threatening DP World Tour with legal action
Pelley says the sanctions against players who competed in the first LIV Golf event are ‘proportionate’ and ‘fair’.
-
PGA Tour
JT Poston takes two-shot lead at John Deere Classic
The 29-year-old also became the first player on record to open consecutive Tour events with 62 or better.
-
European Tour
Ryan Fox surprised to be leading after opening round of Horizon Irish Open
The New Zealander carded a flawless 64 to set the pace at Mount Juliet.
-
News
Defiant Lee Westwood does not believe playing in LIV should harm Ryder Cup hopes
Westwood doesn’t agree with penalties and sanctions.
-
News
Shane Lowry welcomes closer ties between Tours in response to threat from LIV
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced the next phase of their strategic alliance.
-
News
Padraig Harrington fears LIV series poses threat to future of DP World Tour
The US Senior Open champion thinks there is only room for the PGA and one other tour in the world game.
-
News
Steve Stricker makes Padraig Harrington sweat as Irishman wins US Senior Open
The pair were rival captains in last year’s Ryder Cup in Wisconsin.
-
News
Golfers warned of further sanctions if they continue to play in LIV breakaway
The DP World Tour has issued fines of £100,000 and tournament bans to its members who played in the inaugural LIV Golf event earlier this month
-
European Tour
DP World Tour hits members who played inaugural LIV series with £100,000 fines
They have also been banned from several forthcoming tournaments including the Scottish Open.
-
News
Rory McIlroy not impressed as Brooks Koepka becomes latest big name to join LIV
The world number two labelled the players who have joined the new series as “duplicitous” for the way they have handled their breakaway.