On the European Tour, Holland's Joost Luiten edged out his nearest rivals to lift the trophy at the Wales Open on Sunday.
In a highly competitive final round, Luiten hung on to his one-stroke lead despite the efforts of Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry – the UK pair was hot on the champion's heels throughout the day. Fleetwood's eagle at the fifteenth and a final-hole birdie by Lowry were not enough to unseat Luiten at the top of the leader board, but Luiten's main competitors didn't fail to thrill the crowd as they carved their way through the back nine.
For his part, Luiten weathered the double challenge with a cool head after a shaky start to the final round. The champion felt his overnight lead fade away after a triple putt at the first green, but found his feet during the front nine to reclaim his position at the top of the leader board.
A solid back nine performance – including a save at the final hole when his tee shot found the rough – allowed Luiten to walk away with his fourth European Tour title.
PGA Tour in recess – awaiting Ryder Cup
The US PGA Tour was in recess last week as the main events on the 2014 calendar draw to a close. Top players from both Europe and America will face off next week at the Ryder Cup, which will take place at Gleneagles, an iconic Scottish golf course.
Chen wins Spanish Ladies Open
South Africa's Connie Chen won her first title on the Ladies European Tour on Sunday when she beat local favourite Carlota Ciganda by a margin of two strokes at the Spanish Ladies Open.
Chen began the final round tied for the lead, but two birdies – at the fourth and eighth holes – allowed the 21-year-old South African to take the lead. With her first win in hand, Chen is one of the young golfers to watch on the LET.
GolfWeather
Editorail
Copyright ©2014 Golfweather.com, All rights reserved.
Part of the WGT Media Network