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VOLVO PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Wentworth Club
Colin Montgomerie shrugged off his injury worries to shoot a brilliant opening 64, eight under par, at Wentworth Club to lead the Volvo PGA Championship by three shots. Montgomerie was in serious doubt for the championship he won three times in succession from 1998 because of back trouble and only managed five holes in practice yesterday. But after intensive treatment from a specialist in Fulham, Montgomerie was fit enough to play and produced his best start in the Volvo PGA Championship and lowest round of the year. His round included three bogeys but nine birdies and an eagle more than made up for the dropped shots as he pulled clear of the chasing pack. Andrew Coltart, Mark McNulty, Eduardo Romero and Steen Tinning finished the day his nearest challengers after rounds of 67. Montgomerie's front nine included four birdies and two bogeys as he reached the turn in 33 but the 38-year-old Scot then proceeded to birdie the tenth and 11th, chipped in for eagle on the 509-yard 12th and then birdied the lengthened 13th as well. A bogey followed at the 15th, another of the holes with a new tee further back, but he finished in style with two more birdies to be only one outside the course record. "It's nice to get my name up there early," said Montgomerie. "That was as good a round as my other two 64s I have shot here. I am glad to get that under my belt. I had the opportunities to score well today, took them, and that is very important." Montgomerie has been plagued by back problems with four discs prolapsed and leaking fluid and needs two hours to warm up before he is able to play. The pain is preventing him hitting through the ball properly but by hitting one more club he is finding more control. "One of the best shots I hit today was a five iron on the fifth. The reason I say that is because I normally hit a six iron there but I can't come through the ball properly and it is amazing how much more control I seem to have on the ball. I hit it to ten feet there and holed it. That is what I am doing right now, just playing within myself and trying to get round, use my new technique putting to its best effect and it seems to be working well." Fellow Scot Coltart moved within three shots of the lead with a back nine of 32, starting the homeward stretch with a hat-trick of birdies and then adding two more birdies on the last two holes. "There are a few chances out there with the par fives coming home," he said. "You have just got to remain patient and not make any clumsy errors given those opportunities on the back nine." McNulty, who returned to action last week after a three-month break, shook off the rust to post to match Coltart's score. His front nine included an eagle three on the fourth and two birdies to finish gave him an opening 67. "I definitely scrambled quite well today," he said. "Had a couple of nice up and downs from bunkers in the first seven holes which helped a lot and then finished nicely with a couple of birdies. It is always nice to put a good first round together but there is a lot of golf ahead and I don't want to get ahead of myself." Steen Tinning, whose cousin Iben has won the last two events on the Ladies European Tour, showed the form which helped him win The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open in 2000 with an opening five under par 67. "It was a good start, nice and steady all the way round," he said. "Before this week I've been struggling, making too many bogeys. Today I started with one and didn't make another one all day so that was a lot better." Romero was the last of the quartet to finish. The Argentine moved to five under with a birdie on the 15th but was unable to capitalise on the two par fives to finish as he too finished with a 67. Second
Round
Third
Round
Two shots ahead at the start of the day, the 31 year old Dane carded a superb 66 for a 17 under par total of 199 to finish the day five shots clear of nearest challenger Carlos Rodiles with Eduardo Romero a further shot behind on ten under par 206. Nick Faldo, Mark McNulty and Colin Montgomerie were next in the chasing pack at nine under par 207, but they were all part of the supporting cast to the star turn Hansen, whose 54 hole total was the record for the Championship at Wentworth Club, beating the previous best of 201 set by Seve Ballesteros in 1991 and Andrew Oldcorn last year. Both players, of course, went on to win the flagship event on The European Tour International Schedule but Hansen did not want to talk about the likelihood of emulating the duo. It was perhaps understandable considering no player, yet, in Volvo PGA Championship has made the prestigious event his maiden victory "I haven't won the tournament yet as far as I know," he said. "I believe we still have 18 holes to play so we can talk about that tomorrow. But I feel great. I didn't play too well at the start but my short game kept me together and I felt I was really coming back into it down the stretch. To shoot 66, obviously I am very pleased. "But tomorrow is another day. Obviously I am playing pretty solidly otherwise I wouldn't have the score that I have. But what is going to happen in the final round, who knows? I will just try to keep on doing what I have been doing and they then will have to shoot a pretty decent score to beat me." Certainly, if Hansen repeats his third round form he will be almost impossible to catch. In a near immaculate third round, his only dropped shot came at the short fifth where he overshot the green, but seven birdies elsewhere more than made up for that. The man with the closest view of Hansen in the final round will be his nearest challenger and playing partner, Carlos Rodiles, who carded an excellent 68 for a 12 under par total of 204, his cause greatly helped by a flawless back nine of 32, which featured five birdies. Like Hansen, the 27 year old Spaniard has yet to win on The European Tour International Schedule, his best finish to date being a tie for fourth place in the 2000 North West of Ireland Open. "I didn't think I was going to finish so well," he said. "My start wasn't good and I was putting badly. I got very upset after dropping a shot at the sixth but my caddy calmed me down a bit, then I relaxed and played hole-by-hole, shot-by-shot and tried to enjoy myself which, in the end, I did. "I feel okay but there is one more day to go. A top five finish would be very good but I am aware that three days good work can be ruined in just one." Nearest challenger to the leading pair was the experienced Argentine Eduardo Romero, whose 71 gave him a ten under par total of 206, but who looked out of contention before he finished with eagle threes at each of the last two holes on the West Course to catapult himself back up the leaderboard. "On the 17th fairway, the BBC Radio reporter Ross McFarlane asked me if I had ever finished three-three here. I said I couldn't remember ever doing it but I'd give it go…and I did it!" he said. "I never give up though. Hansen was way out in front but the rest were around eight or nine under so I knew I was still in there. If the wind blows tomorrow then anything can happen - I think I still have a chance." Of the three players on nine under par 207, the happiest was Mark McNulty who finished with three birdies to rescue an errant round and post a 71. Nick Faldo birdied the 16th and 18th for a 68 while Colin Montgomerie, who led after the first round with a 64, continued to battle back pains and could do no better than a level par 72. Final
Round Anders Hansen rewrote the record books with a stunning victory in the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. The weather conditions for the final day on the West Course might have been dismal but nothing could dampen the delight of the 31-year-old Dane who became the first player in history to make the flagship event of The European Tour his maiden victory. Hansen's closing 70 for a 19 under par total of 269 was the lowest winning score in the history of the event at Wentworth Club, beating the previous best of 270 held jointly by Bernhard Langer (1987) and Colin Montgomerie (1999). The Dane started the day at 17 under par 199, also the lowest 54 hole total since 1984, leaving the only Championship record to remain intact at the end being Langer's six stroke winning margin attained in 1993. Hansen won by five shots from Colin Montgomerie and Eduardo Romero with Michael Campbell, Nick Faldo and Carlos Rodiles tied for fourth a further two shots behind. Hansen's victory gave him a cheque for 528,708 euro (£333,330) and moved him from 27th on the Volvo Order of Merit to fourth. It also gave him a five year exemption on The European Tour and a guaranteed spot in July's Open Championship at Muirfield. "This is the biggest moment of my golfing career, it is unbelievable," said a delighted Hansen, who became the ninth first time winner on the 2002 European Tour International Schedule and who was congratulated at the rear of the 18th green by his fellow Dane Thomas Björn. "I don't know what this will do for my golfing career but hopefully I can go on to further successes. It was really great to see Thomas there at the end. He has been a good friend to me and I know he is delighted to see what I have achieved here." Any nerves Hansen was feeling were aided greatly by a birdie at the short second and although he dropped a shot at the third, another birdie at the fourth put him back on track and he reached the turn in one under par 34. Although he dropped shots at the 12th and 15th on the way home, birdies at the tenth, 14th and 17th ensured the chasing pack did not get close enough to pose a serious threat and when he stood on the final tee he had five shots to spare. Joint runner-up Colin Montgomerie continued to bravely battle his lower back pain to card a final round 67 for a 14 under par total of 274. The 38 year old Scot, who birdied the last two holes, spoke in glowing praise of the new champion at the prize giving ceremony. "I know what it is like to stand here with this trophy and I just want to congratulate one of the up and coming stars of The European Tour for his victory and for his record winning total. Well done Anders." Alongside Montgomerie, Eduardo Romero looked unlikely to figure in the final shake up when he double bogeyed the long fourth hole after an errant tee shot caused him to lose his ball. But the winner of seven tournaments on The European Tour International Schedule battled back in fine style, picking up four shots in three holes from the tenth before closing with a birdie four on the 18th for a 68. "I'm very happy," he said. "My goal was to get to the Open Championship and I've done it. I feel fantastic. I have been playing well all year, who knows, maybe soon I'll win again." Of the trio in fourth place, the best score was posted by Michael Campbell who carded a 67 for 12 under par 276, Nick Faldo posting a 69 while Carlos Rodiles returned a 72 after making bogey six at the last. Faldo knew he had to finish second to ensure his place in next month's US Open Championship at Bethpage State Park but despite a gallant effort, his final round fell just short of what was required. Elsewhere, the best performance of the final day came from Australia's Jarrod Moseley who equalled Wayne Riley and Angel Cabrera's course record 63 for an 11 under par total of 277, the lowest final round in the history of the event at Wentworth Club. It moved the 29 year old from 35th at the start of the day into a tie for seventh. Incredibly,
Moseley even included a dropped shot in his round, coming at the 467 yard
13th courtesy of an errant drive, but more than made up for it with ten
birdies, including four in the last five holes.
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