Anders Forsbrand blazed a trail for Sweden once more by becoming the first from his country to win on the European Senior Tour at the SSE Scottish Seniors Open at Fairmont St Andrews.
Forsbrand actually quit competitive golf for seven years, concentrating on his role as the national coach with the Austrian Federation, the programme that has produced new young stars Bernd Wiesberger and Markus Brier.
”I’ve actually been playing beautifully tee to green since I returned to playing and with me it always comes down to the putter,” he explained.
”Apart from that three-putt on 16 it’s been pretty good to me this week, and it’s always wonderful to win in Scotland with the crowds turning out like they do.”
For Golding, a Senior Tour rookie, the only regret was the first round of par 72 which meant his incredible 16-under weekend counted only for second place.
”When you shoot two 64s on the weekend and don’t win – that doesn’t happen very often,” he said.
”But Anders played lovely and and he made some big putts, particularly the one on the eighth. I had started birdie, birdie and got within a couple of shots of him, but he had a run of three birdies and then holed a very long one on eight.
”I’m delighted with the way I played though and It has been a good start to life on the Senior Tour so far.”
Top Scottish finisher was St Andrews-born Gordon Manson, who was Forsbrand’s predecessor as Austrian golf coach and still plays under their flag, finishing in a tie for fourth at eight-under after a two-under 70 yesterday.
Former Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam also moved up to finish fourth, one behind his great friend Russell, the pro at Archerfield in East Lothian shooting 67 to finish third on his own, while also providing some tips for the veteran Welshman.
”DJ has been giving me a few tips and I’m hitting the ball really well again, I’ve even got my power back,” said Woosnam.
”I’ve had a bit of a problem with my hips and my back has to settle down, but it is getting better all the time, I can make the proper turn and all of a sudden I am hitting the ball 30 yards further”
Sam Torrance also took some encouragement form a final-round 69 that saw him finish in a tie for 14th on six-under, if he can get his trademark long putter operating.
”I had 35 putts on Saturday for a 69 and must have had about 34 to 35 putts today also for a 69,” said Torrance. ”It’s a bit frustrating as I just played beautifully. But I’m really looking forward to the next couple of weeks now.”
Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Archive
The 51-year-old was a prolific winner in the 1990s as he, Per-Ulrik Johannson, Mats Lanner and Joakim Haeggman were the vanguard for Scandanavian golf, but had endured a 17-year drought without a win during which he stopped playing competitively.
However, he returned to playing tournament golf on reaching 50 and the seniors, and a 67 on Sunday was just enough to hold off an extraordinary charge from England’s Phil Golding to secure his first win since the 1995 German Masters, one of 11 previous career victories.
It’s 18 years since his last win at St Andrews, as part of the Swedish team with Johannson and Lanner that won the Dunhill Cup on the Old Course, and this latest breakthrough is just about as memorable.
”Winning the Dunhill and the World Cup in that same year for Sweden will always be my favourite memory, but this is pretty wonderful,” said the Florida-based Forsbrand.
”The winning feelings are the same although it was a little different today to when I was a kid getting my first professional win at the Swedish PGA 30 years ago.”
Entering the final round with a four-shot lead, Forsbrand was being chased by playing partners Golding and DJ Russell and never felt entirely comfortable, even though he stretched his lead to five strokes at one point.
In the end Golding’s two rounds of 64 on the weekend were what kept Forsbrand focused, and he used all of his advantage in the end, finishing just a shot ahead of the Englishman with a 17-under-par total of 199.
”A four-shot lead is nothing one double by me and a birdie by Phil and it was gone,” he said. ”If there was no wind again I knew it was going to be another day of low scores and both Phil and DJ were playing superbly.
”Phil’s performance on the weekend was outstanding and I’m proud of myself in the way I was able to just hold him off.”
Early birdies at the third, fifth and eighth settled any early nerves but they came back down the stretch as a three-putt on the 16th and a missed birdie chance on the 17th gave Golding a sniff of an incredible comeback.
Instead the Englishman was unable to chip in from left of the green for the eagle up the last that would have hauled Forsbrand in and with two putts for the title from six feet, the Swede took them both.
Continued…