Sam Horsfield’s record reads win, Missed Cut, win after he claimed the Celtic Classic at Celtic Manor – beating Thomas Detry by two shots. Pictures by GETTY IMAGES

SAM Horsfield made European Tour history claiming his second win at the Celtic Classic.

The Tour’s Manchester-born star who grew up in Florida became the first player to win, miss a cut, and then win again in the space of three weeks at three different tournaments.

A delighted Horsfield said: “It was pretty crazy. My goal this weekend was to have no bogeys and I was able to do that.

“I made a huge putt on 17 to keep that alive. I just played solid all week, really. To have a nice cushion coming into the last was nice.

“I never really felt nervous or felt uncomfortable, maybe because I was in this situation a few weeks ago.

“On 15, we decided to lay-up and I could have gone for that green. It’s the perfect three-wood number but there is so much trouble around that green.

“The birdie on 14 was huge because it gave me that option. If you’re one ahead, I think you go for that.

“But making that putt on 14 and then giving myself a pretty easy decision on the tee.

“Then I just sort of brought it home,” added Horsefield, who was certainly more composed speaking after his win then he had been two weeks earlier when winning the Hero Open at the Forest of Arden.

Horsfield had fired a superb 64 in Friday’s second round to close the gap on the leaders before Syme’s spectacular 63 on Saturday gave him the overnight lead.

Sam Horsfield was a shot behind Scot Connor Syme going into Sunday’s final round

Lightning delay can derail Sam

THE 23-year-old started the day one stroke behind young Scot Connor Syme.

But they were level after the 2017 Walker Cup player dropped a shot at the first at Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten Course.

Horsfield – tipped for the top by Ian Poulter some seven years ago – made consecutive birdies on the third and fourth.

Sam then birdied the seventh. But the players then had a two-hour delay as lightning closed in at the home of the 2010 Ryder Cup.

After the restart Horsfield parred the next six holes before his fourth birdie of the day on 14^th.

And he parred his way home to sign for a bogey-free 67 and an 18-under par total.

Horsfield moves to the top of the UK Swing Order of Merit, securing a place at next month’s US Open.

He will be joined by the other top 10 players on the UK Swing Rankings at Winged Foot at the conclusion of next week’s ISPS Handa Wales Open.

Horsfield is also guaranteed a share of £250,000 as part of the European Tour’s Good for Golf initiative.

The top 10 on the rankings after the ISPS Handa UK Championship at The Belfry in two weeks’, will share the money to donate to charities of their choice.

Connor Syme was happy with third place despite having a chance to win his maiden title

Syme settles for spoils as good run continues

JUST as at the Hero Open, Belgium’s Thomas Detry finished runner-up to Horsfield – having also posted a four-under par, bogey-free round.

Sharing third place were 2016 Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters, Middlesex’s Andrew “Beef” Johnston and Syme.

It was Pieters first start since the resumption of the 2020 Race to Dubai.

Syme, who played in the Walker Cup against the likes of Cameron Champ, Scottie Scheffler and USPGA Champion Collin Morikawa, said: “It was another good result.

“I’ll have a couple of days away and play next week. My goal is to get in that top 10 for the US Open.

“It’s given me a step towards that. It’ll hurt for a couple of days, but it’s a good week.

“If someone offers you third at the start of the week, no matter the circumstances, you’ll take it.

“I’ll build on that and hopefully have a good week next week on the same course,” said the 2016 Australian Amateur Champion.

Syme’s sole win in the pro ranks came in last year’s Turkish Airlines Challenge on the Challenge Tour.

The 25-year-old from Kircaldy finished 14th on the Road to Mallorca Order of Merit to earn his full card.

Pieters who recently became a father, said: “It’s always a bit testing with your caddie, getting the numbers right.

“We did an okay job this week. It’s nice to start after five months off with a top 10. We had a bit of a slip up yesterday but still, happy overall.

“My caddie said if I go two-under through the last four then he’ll buy me dinner tonight. So I get free dinner.

“At the beginning of the day when it was a bit warmer, my grips were still slippery. I had a lot of trouble this week, I don’t know why.

“I’ve never really had that much trouble with it. After the restart helped me because it was colder and I could grip it and I felt a lot more at ease.

“I hit a lot better golf shots,” said Pieters, who has four European Tour wins under his belt, having won the NCAA US college title in 2012.

•For full results in the Celtic Championship, click here.

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Thomas Bjorn will take the Ryder Cup his team won in Paris two years ago and walk 130 miles from Wentworth to Celtic Manor in Wales, next week. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

THOMAS Bjørn is set for one of the biggest challenges of his career when he embarks on a four-day 130-mile charity walk from Wentworth to Wales.

The walk will raise funds for Unicef UK’s Save Generation COVID appeal and the Golf Foundation as part of the European Tour’s Golf for Good initiative.

Inspired by the fundraising exploits of Sir Tom Moore during the COVID-19 lockdown, Bjørn will carry the Ryder Cup from the European Tour HQ at Wentworth, in Surrey, to Newport’s Celtic Manor.

The 2010 Ryder Cup venue is set to host two consecutive European Tour events starting next week, as part of the new UK Swing.

The 49-year-old Dane will set off from Wentworth on Thursday, August 13 – the first day of The Celtic Classic.

The captain of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team two years ago plans to arrive at Celtic Manor on the final day of the tournament on Sunday.

He will then compete in the second tournament – the ISPS Handa Wales Open, on the Twenty Ten Course – where Europe memorably defeated the United States 14½-13½ 10 years ago.

Bjørn was one of Colin Montgomerie’s vice-captains in 2010, and the 15-time European Tour winner went on to lead Europe in a record Ryder Cup victory at Le Golf National in Paris, with the USA beaten 17½-10½, the largest winning margin in the event’s 92-year history.

He will now take on another formidable challenge in his Wentworth2Wales walk, which will raise money for Unicef UK and the Golf Foundation.

Both causes have special significance for Bjørn, who also intends to raise awareness of the health and wellness benefits golf can offer.

•Donations can be made by clicking here.

Thomas Bjørn will walk 30 miles a day during his four day walk from Wentworth to Celtic Manor – after being inspired by NHS fundraiser Sir Tom Moore. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Captain Tom Moore was inspiration

BJØRN explained how the idea of his Wentworth to Wales charity walk came about.

He said: “During lockdown I had started going on some long walks to regain a bit of fitness, and also because I find it relieves a lot of mental stress for me.

“It was around the same time that Captain Tom – now Sir Tom Moore – was doing his incredible walk for the NHS, and someone called me ‘Ryder Cup Captain Tom’.

“We had a bit of a laugh about it. But the more I looked at Sir Tom, the more I was genuinely inspired by what he was doing. So we came up with the idea of doing a fundraising walk of our own.

“We looked at potential routes and Wentworth to Wales made a lot of sense, although I have to admit I didn’t realise it was over 200km.

“It’s going to be very tough to do it in four days. But I suppose the whole point of doing it is that it’s not meant to be easy.

“If I am going to ask people to donate their hard-earned cash then I need to earn that donation.

“For me, walking between 10-12 hours a day for four consecutive days will push me to the limit.

“As a Dane, who has lived most of my adult life in the UK, I wanted to give something back both globally and locally.

“I feel that UNICEF’s Save Generation COVID appeal and the Golf Foundation are a perfect fit for that.

“I was reading some information from UNICEF recently and they say that coronavirus is the biggest global crisis for children since World War Two.

“And that without urgent action, the coronavirus threatens to reverse 10 years of progress on reducing the number of children dying from preventable causes.

“Like so many fundraising ideas, this all started as a throwaway comment which quickly grew into something which is now very real – and, to be honest, quite scary,” smiled Bjørn.

“And being able to raise some funds to help the game of golf continue to thrive as part of the European Tour’s UK Swing and through the Golf Foundation is something that means a lot from a personal point of view.

“Obviously I want to raise as much as possible. But no matter how much it is, hopefully it can raise awareness and help kids around the world.”

Support from sponsors to help good causes

BJØRN has already received significant support from BMW, Hilton Hotels, Wentworth Club and LetsGetChecked. who have provided COVID-19 testing resources for the European Tour.

The European Tour’s Golf for Good initiative aims to give back in three key areas:–
•Supporting the Communities where the European Tour plays
▪ Rewarding the true heroes, such as the front line workers
▪ Promoting the many health benefits that golf offers.

The Golf for Good initiative was launched at the start of the European Tour’s new UK Swing.

A total of £500,000 from the European Tour is being distributed equally between local charities at each tournament venue, plus charities chosen by the leading 10 players in a mini-Order of Merit, running across all six tournaments. which began at the British Masters at Close House last month.

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The European Tour will return with six events in the UK between July and August – the Scottish Open will be played in October the week before the BMW PGA at Wentworth.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

THE European Tour will return with a new six-week ‘UK Swing’ starting in July – and revealed details of four new Rolex Series events.

The European Tour will play two Marriott venues and return to two Ryder Cup venues, while the BMW PGA Championship, at Wentworth, moves from September to October 15-18.

And there is a new date for the DP World Tour Championship Dubai. The climax to the Race to Duba season moves back to December to make room for more rearrgnged tournaments.

Fans will initially not be allowed to attend the UK events which will be televised and played behind closed doors.

The European Tour hopes to allow fans back when government restrictions are relaxed sufficiently.

The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will be the first rearranged Rolex Series event of the 2020 season.

North Berwick’s Renaissance Club will now stage the Scottish Open from October 8-11, instead of the week before The Open, which has already been cancelled.

The first tournament of the UK Swing is the Betfred British Masters – which will be hosted by Lee Westwood – at Close House, near Newcastle, from July 22-25 – a week earlier than originally scheduled.

It will be followed by the English Open at the Marriott Forest of Arden (July 30-August 2) and the English Championship, at Hertfordshire’s Marriott Hanbury Manor, from August 6-9.

The next two legs will be held at the Celtic Manor Resort, in Newport.

The 2010 Ryder Cup venue which will host back-to-back European Tour tournaments – the Celtic Classic (August 13-16) and the Wales Open a week later.

The European Tour’s final UK Swing event will take place at The Belfry, where Europe won the Ryder Cup for a third time out of four matches played at the West Midlands course, in 2002

Ryder Cup venues support UK Swing

THE new format sees a timely return to South Wales as Celtic Manor marks the 10th anniversary of Europe’s dramatic victory against the USA.

The UK Swing will conclude with the UK Championship at The Belfry, another venue rich in Ryder Cup history, from August 27-30.

The Belfry’s Brabazon Course played host to four contests with Europe triumphing in two – 1985 and 2002.

The USA won in 1993 with the 1989 match ending in a 14-14 tie.

South Africa’s Nedbank Golf Challenge is now scheduled for December 3-6 at Sun City’s Gary Player Country Club.

And the DP World Tour Championship, will take place a week later at Jumeirah Golf Estates, when the 2020 Race to Dubai Champion will be crowned.

Details of subsequent tournaments from September through to November will be announced in due course, the Tour said.

A “variety of scheduling options” are currently under consideration as the global COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, a European Tour statement said.

“All tournaments will be subject to stringent safety and testing protocols set out in the Tour’s comprehensive Health Strategy, which will continue to evolve, aligned with international Government guidance and health guidelines,” the statement added.

The Tour’s Health Strategy has been developed by Dr Andrew Murray.

The Euorpean Tour’s chief medical officer worked in consultation with healthcare specialists Cignpost – and advisers in many of the 30 countries the Tour plays in.

Cignpost will deliver the Tour’s testing procedure over the coming months.

“The strategy will continue to evolve, aligned with international Government guidance and health guidelines,” added the European Tour.

European Tour will give £500k to charities

THE new tournaments will also form part of the Tour’s new ‘Golf for Good’ initiative, which aims to give back in three key areas:–

▪ Supporting communities where the European Tour plays
▪ Rewarding true heroes, such as frontline workers
▪ Promoting many health benefits golf offers.

Under the ‘Golf for Good’ initiative the European Tour will give away £500,000 to charity.

They money will be equally distributed between local charities at each UK venue, and good causes chosen by the leading 10 players in a mini-Order of Merit running across the six British tournaments.

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