Noren wins Nordea Masters
Alex Noren held his nerve in windy conditions to win the Nordea Masters in Sweden on Sunday afternoon.
The Swede’s final round of 71, which left him on 12 under for the event, was enough for a four shot win over Soren Kjeldsen at PGA Sweden National in Malmo.
Noren started the day with a four shot cushion and was consistent throughout. After a birdie on the first to extend his lead, Noren bogeyed the par four second. However, he would card 15 pars in a row before a final birdie on the last to earn his fourth European Tour title.
“I’m so pleased…now I can relax a bit because it was probably the toughest weekend in terms of wind I’ve ever felt,” the 32-year-old told europeantour.com.
“When you’re in the lead you can think a lot, and it was very tough. I hit a few bad shots. I think on the seventh, eighth and ninth, but I played quite well on the back nine.
“I didn’t have to look for my ball in the rough or anything, so it was not that stressful. I wasn’t too confident coming into this week because I’ve had a tough time in the wind lately and here you really have to hit the right shots to get around. I got better as the week went on.
“I’ve had a few good tournaments but I haven’t played well on the last day. When I’ve had a chance – like at Wentworth, I had a small chance – I’ve had a slow round. I kept my poise and tried to hit the shots we needed, and it worked.
“My caddie really helped calm me down and make me stick to my routine. You have to enjoy the good days in this game because you have plenty of bad ones.”
Kjeldsen, last weeks’ Dubai Duty Free Irish Open winner, coped well in the wind for the second weekend in a row to finish by himself in second on eight under.
A host of players, including Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer and Alexander Levy of France, were left tied for third on six under.
After his impressive four under 68 on Saturday, world number four Henrik Stenson struggled in the final round, posting a 74 to finish on four under, tied for 13th.
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