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.

The post Horsfield bounces back with another win at Celtic Classic to make it two from three appeared first on Golf North.

Florida-based Englishman Sam Horsfield’s maiden win came in the land of his birth – a feat his mentor Ian Poulter has never achieved. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SAM Horsfield claimed his maiden European Tour title at the Hero Open after showing nerves of steel down the stretch.

The Mancunian raised in Florida beat off the challenge of Belgium’s Thomas Detry to seal a one-stroke victory at the Forest of Arden in the West Midlands.

The 23-year-old became the first home winner of the Hero Open – formerly the English Open – since Lee Westwood in 1998.

Horsfield, a protege of Ian Poulter, became the fifth English winner in total and achieved something the Ryder Cup star has not achieved in 20 years on tour – a victory in England.

The win also moves Horsfield to the top of the UK Swing Rankings, from which the top 10 players at the conclusion of the ISPS Handa Wales Open will earn exemptions to next month’s US Open at Winged Foot.

Horsfield said: “It’s crazy, I can’t put it in to words.

“I made a bad bogey on 15, then on 17 we wanted to leave a good five-wood number and I did – 233, wind out to the left. Hit a great shot there.

“It’s special. With everything that’s going on in the world right now, I’m thankful that the European Tour has been able to put on tournaments for us to play.

“I’ve been in Orlando for the last three months and felt like my game was right there. I played decently last week, had a bad finish but kept the positives from that.

“I played solid all week and gave myself a lot of opportunities and made one enough,” said the player who has two 59s to his name already in his career – his first came aged 13.

Sam Horsfield had a six-shot lead at one point on Saturday – but showed nerves of steel during the final round with the chasing pack close on his tail. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Sam’s back nine fails to prove costly

HORSFIELD had endured a difficult back nine in his third round after giving an on-course interview to Sky Sports walking down the 10th fairway.

The former University of Florida player said he was able to go low by being aggressive.

After speaking to Tim Barter, who asked him about his 59 last month at Florida’s Streamsong, a par 73, Sam relinquished a six-shot lead he had built on the front nine, making a double bogey and giving up three more shots.

But the Englishman, who pulled of the Great Britain & Ireland team before the 2015 Walker Cup team, showed true determination on an exciting final day.

He maintained his one-shot overnight lead over the chasing pack for the vast part of the round.

Horsfield was knocked off the perch briefly when Detry birdied the 17th to move to the front on 18-under par.

But the Belgian missed a crucial par putt at the last from four feet to drop back to 17-under alongside the eventual winner.

Horsfield capitalised on his opportunity at the penultimate hole, playing the par-five to perfection.

The 2017 Qualifying School winner picked up a shot to earn a one-one stroke advantage stepping onto the tee of the par-three final hole.

A deft lag putt left him with an easy par putt to lift the trophy, after signing for a four-under par 68 – and an 18-under total.

Thomas Detry was briefly in the lead with two to play but dropped a shot on the last after making. a birdie on his penultimate hole. Picture by GETTY IMAGES.

Detry only sees positives from UK Swing

DETRY was only taking the positives after another near miss looking for his maiden win.

He said: “A lot of things have been going through my mind, but honestly I have nothing to be disappointed about right now.

“I played some really good golf. The greens are getting trickier down the stretch and I over-read that putt on 18.

“But I’m very pleased with the way I finished on those last few holes to be honest.

“I hit some very good shots out there. Another missed opportunity, but I’ll move on and forget about it – and just try to win next week.

“It was tough out there, the wind started to swirl a little bit and 16 and 17 are tough holes with a lot of water around.

“You have to be careful because you can quickly make a high number, but I handled it pretty well, like I said I’ll just move on.

“I’m feeling very positive about the rest of the UK Swing now.

“I’ve picked up a few points for the UK Swing Rankings so it will change a few things.

“I might not play every single tournament now but we’ll see how things go. But I’m definitely playing next week so I’m looking forward to that.”

Forest of Arden’s £50k from Golf for Good to give away

Horsfield, who left the UK to live in Florida at the age of five, moved from 43rd to 18th in the Race to Dubai Rankings.

His win concluded another successful week on the UK Swing for the European Tour’s Golf for Good initiative.

Forest of Arden received £50,000 from the tour to be distributed to charities of their choice – with Blood Cancer UK being awarded £20,000, and local charities Newlife and Birmingham Mind receiving £15,000 each.

•For the final scores in the Hero Open click here.

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