France’s Romain Langasque finally earned his maiden European Tour victory in the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor after a briliant back nine. Pictures by GETTY IMAGES

ROMAIN Langasque stormed to victory at the ISPS Handa Wales Open, overturning a five-stroke deficit to win his first European Tour title.

The Frenchman started the final day at The Celtic Manor Resort in a share of sixth place.

The 2015 Amateur Champion was five shots behind 54-hole co-leaders Sebastian Söderberg and Connor Syme, from Scotland.

But the deficit was cut to just one stroke after his second birdie of the day on the sixth hole.

Langasque continued to lurk one shot back after another gain on the ninth. And Romain drew level with a fourth birdie of the day on the par five 11th hole.

Successive birdies at the 15th and 16th holes saw the 25-year-old sign for a bogey-free 65 and an eight-under par total as a nervous wait followed.

Bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes dashed Syme’s hopes of a maiden European Tour victory.

Both he and Söderberg – who beat Rory McIlroy to the 2019 Omega European Masters title at Crans in September – found the water at the par five 18th.

That mistake ultimately ended the Swede’s chances at the 11th hour.

Conor Syme (right) made a double bogey at the last to drop down the leaderboard but was rewarded with a place in the US Open at Winged Foot, in September.

Great back nine earned the win

LANGASQUE, who has been tipped by many Tour pundits to make a break-through win for more than a year, was delighted with his final round.

Romain said: “I was playing really good since the start of the week.

“I was only focusing on doing my thing – that was the only objective I had on Monday with my coach.

“I’m so happy with the way I played the back nine. I played really, really good. I had so many birdie opportunities.

“The second shot on 16 and the first shot on 17 were my two best shots of the week.

“That shows that the work we have done the past few weeks has worked, and I’m pretty happy,” added Langasque.

“It was one of the first times I didn’t feel the pressure. I was focused on every shot.

“The first shot I felt pressure was the wedge on 18, because I was looking to be shorter and have a longer shot. But I flushed my four-iron.

“The wedge wasn’t easy because I wasn’t close and the two putts were under pressure. Before that I was cool and feeling really well on the course.

“The wait was long. But when you come back from five shots and you’re in a position like that it’s good.

“It’s long but it’s a good pressure and a good moment. I’m just enjoying my time now.”

•For final scores at the ISPS Handa Wales Open click here.

Välimäki and Syme earn US Open spots

LANGASQUE’S victory elevated him to 31st in the 2020 Race to Dubai Rankings.

It also earned him a place in next month’s US Open at Winged Foot, in New York, after he moved inside the top ten on the UK Swing Order of Merit.

The top 10 golfers not already exempt on that list, including Syme and runner-up Sami Välimäki, from Finland, have now secured their berths in the second Major of the COVID-19 interrupted season.

Langasque won The Amateur Championship five years ago at Carnoustie to earn his Open debut at St Andrews that summer.

He also made the cut when playing in the 2016 Augusta Masters and turned pro after his US Open debut at Oakmont, where Dustin Johnson claimed his first Major victory.

In March 2016, Langasque had beaten Hampshire’s Scott Gregory in the final of the Spanish Amateur Championship.

Three months later Gregory succeeded him as Amateur Champion by beating Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre in the final at Royal Porthcawl.

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Sam Horsfield will attempt to create more history at Celtic Manor by completing a hat-trick of wins on the UK Swing of the European Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SAM Horsfield is aiming to make it a hat-trick of victories in the space of four UK Swing events at Celtic Manor.

The Florida-based Englishman tees it up in the ISPS Handa Wales Open on the same Twenty Ten course upon which he triumphed just four days ago.

The 23-year-old, who hails from Manchester, became the first player in European Tour history to go win-missed cut-win when he claimed the inaugural Celtic Classic title at the Newport resort, on Sunday.

The victory matched his performance two weeks earlier in the Hero Open at Forest of Arden Marriott Golf and Country Club, near Coventry.

Horsfield, who has lived in Florida since the age of five, said: “The celebrations were good. I didn’t feel great on Monday morning.

“Me, (Sean) Crocker and Haydn (Porteous) had a few drinks and celebrated properly. It hasn’t really hit me yet about the two wins.

“I think once I have a few weeks off and some time to think about everything and reflect, it’ll set in then.

“But I’m just trying to focus on this week. One of the first people to text me was Ian (Poulter). But I’ve had a bunch of support from everybody… fellow players.

“It’s always nice when people send you messages of congratulations,” said the University of Florida graduate.

Sam Horsfield wants to win back to back at Celtic Manor in the ISPS Handa Wales Open after claiming the Celtic Classic last week at the 2010 Ryder Cup venue. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Horsfield can create more history

HORSFIELD is hoping to ride his good form for another strong showing as the European Tour plays back-to-back on the same course for the first time this week.

Sam said: “I am confident. I feel like I’m playing good golf. I think they’re going to change the course around a little bit.

“I don’t know exactly what they’ll do to it. Hopefully, I get out there today and see what they’ve done,” he said on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m playing good golf and I just want to give myself an opportunity going into Sunday again.

“It’s going to be soft and it’s going to be playing long, and I think that helps me.

“I hit it pretty far off the tee and there isn’t so much on run-outs,” added Horsfield who ranks 12th on the Tour’s driving distance stats.

“It’s going to be plugging when it hits the fairway so I think it’s going to be a bomber’s golf course this week.

“I hit two left shots on 16 and 17 last week and I really do not like that shot.

“But it’s hard when you’ve won twice in two weeks to find any issues. You can always improve so I’m going to try eliminate that left shot slowly, but surely, and see where it gets me.”

The Twenty Ten Course will be used for a second European Tour event in a row

Sam set for trip to the land of Uncle Sam

HORSFIELD, a protégé of Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter, has already secured his place in next month’s US Open via the UK Swing’s mini-order of merit – which he currently leads.

The top 10 players in the rankings at the conclusion of this week’s event will qualify for the season’s second Major at Winged Foot, in New York, next month.

Meanwhile, Robert MacIntyre and Haotong Li are making their return to European Tour action for the first time since March.

Both played in the year’s first Major, the USPGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, and made the cut.

Li is feeling particularly confident having led the field after round two before finishing in a share of 17th position.

The Chinese star said: “I see a lot of this rainy weather playing on tour around the world. So I’m kind of used to it.

“It’s pretty nice here – a traditional UK style place. So I’m just glad to be here. The course is pretty good and I think it suits my game.

“You need to hit solid shots to shoot low scores here so it’s going to be a fun week. The game is good, especially coming from the PGA Championship.

“I got a lot of confidence over there, said Haotong, who fired a superb 64 in San Francisco in the second round to lead at the halfway mark.

He added: “I felt like I can compete with those guys when I was playing there. I really enjoyed it, it was a great experience.

“Before then I hadn’t played in quite a while. I’m finding a lot of confidence now and hopefully I can go low this week.

“I think if I bring my A-game I will get a good result. Actually the bubble has been pretty good, I was surprised.

“The hotel and food and everything has been a lot better than I thought.”

Oban’s Robert MacIntyre, who won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award in 2019, tees it up for the first time at Celtic Manor. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Rookie of the Year ready to resume on European Tour

LAST year’s Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year was one of the eligible British players who travelled to California.

Oxfordshire’s Eddie Frilford and Ryder Cup veteran Lee Westwood both chose not to travel to the States.

MacIntyre, whose last European Tour event was in Qatar, back in March, said: “It’s good to be back.

“Good to get back to competitive golf week-in, week-out. The European Tour have done a great job getting everyone back and playing again.

“I obviously watched this place on the TV for the Ryder Cup and hopefully I can get out today to finally see it – and if not I’ll just go out and enjoy it tomorrow,” said Robert, who makes his debut at Celtic Manor this week.

“Greg my caddie has been here and seen the course twice and says it’s as you see it. So as long as I’m hitting it well, which I am doing now, then why not have a good week?

“It was good at Harding Park, probably one of the toughest tests I’ve ever played on.

“If you missed the fairway by a yard-and-a-half, you were chipping it 60 yards down the fairway if you could.

“If you hit it wider you were alright. But I felt like I was just running off fairways from time to time and that’s what cost me.

“The game is in good shape though and I’m looking forward to this week,” said the Scot, who played in the 2017 Walker Cup against the USA in Los Angeles.

“I’m not too sure what I want from the rest of the season. I’m just going to play here and next week and then I have the US Open.

“We’re just trying to win every week we’re out here. Sam is making a good effort at that, so I’m just going to go out and enjoy my golf again and try be up there come Sunday.”

•Follow live scoring in the first round of the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor by clicking 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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