Alexander Noren of Sweden beat Denmark's Anders Hansen and Gregory Bourdy of France by two shots to win the Saab Wales Open at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.
Noren began the final round one clear of the field and he fired a solid closing 70 that included two birdies and just one bogey at the driveable par-4 15th. It was a second European Tour title for the Swede and he was delighted with his consistency through the week.
"I've proved to myself I can hit a lot of greens and not just rely on my short game," he said.
It was a great week for Noren as he had already successfully come through US Open qualifying at Walton Heath on Monday. But there was no time for the 28-year-old to reflect on his successes as he travelled to Sunningdale this Monday to complete 36-holes of qualifying for the Open Championship.
"I'll celebrate on Tuesday," he said.
Anders Hansen and Peter Hanson were Noren's closest challengers at the start of the final round but neither could get on terms with their fellow Scandinavian. Hansen finished in a tie for second with Gregory Bourdy, who set a clubhouse target of 7-under-par with an excellent final round of 67. Peter Hanson dropped back into a tie for fourth.
Defending champion Graeme McDowell had been in second place after 36 holes but a disappointing third round of 81 saw him drop away from contention. He finished in a tie for 30th place.
Saab Wales Open The Celtic Manor Resort, Wales June 2-5, purse £1,800,000, par 71
1 Alexander Noren (Swe) 67 67 71 70 275 €344,358 T2 Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 67 73 70 67 277 €179,456 T2 Anders Hansen (Den) 70 70 66 71 277 €179,456 T4 Johan Edfors (Swe) 68 71 70 69 278 €81,303 T4 Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 71 67 73 67 278 €81,303 T4 Peter Hanson (Swe) 65 72 69 72 278 €81,303 T4 Pablo Larrazabal (Esp) 70 70 71 67 278 €81,303 T8 Magnus Carlsson (Swe) 71 70 69 70 280 €44,319 T8 Jamie Donaldson (Wal) 68 68 71 73 280 €44,319 T8 Joel Sjoholm (Swe) 72 69 71 68 280 €44,319 T8 Peter Whiteford (Sco) 70 70 73 67 280 €44,319
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage only Where next? PGA Tour: Stricker wins the Memorial
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