Wales’ Jamie Donaldson has finally found form and fitness in the build-up to the new Celtic Championship – the UK Swing’s fourth event – at Celtic Manor. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WELSHMAN Jamie Donaldson is relishing the opportunity to tee it up on home soil as Celtic Manor hosts the European Tour for the next two weeks, starting with the Celtic Classic.

Taking place on the Twenty Ten Course, where Europe won back the Ryder Cup in dramatic fashion ten years ago, the Celtic Classic is the fourth event of the six-tournament UK Swing.

The 44-year-old – who was born in Pontypridd, 25 miles from Newport’s Celtic Manor  – was the hero of the 2014 Ryder Cup, holeing the winning putt at Gleneagles.

Donaldson said: “I love coming back down here. It’s a great venue and the course is looking really good, and the sun is shining.

“I do love playing here. Normally you get great crowds, which is a shame, given the current circumstances that won’t be happening.

“It’s a special place, beautiful setting and beautiful weather,” Jamie said of the old Wentwood Hills Course which was redesigned to create the Twenty Ten course, which runs through the picturesque Usk valley.

Donaldson added: “I’ve been playing nicely. After the wrist operation things take time and I’ve been working hard to get that right.

“I’m fit as a fiddle. Sometimes things take longer than you think they would.

“I came back last year but never really felt 100 per cent. But now I feel fit, ready to go and look forward to playing this week.

Jamie, who briefly challenged the leaders at Hanbury Manor last weekend, added: “This is more of a ball-strikers golf course. It’ll help the longer hitter.

“It’s good that I can shoot low scores like that still. I’ve been playing well in practice, things are starting to come together.”

Celtic Manor hosted the Wales Open on the Twenty Ten Ryder Cup course from 2008 until 2014. Next week’s Wales Open will be played on the Roman Road course.

Ryder Cup heroes return to Newport

DONALDSON is one of a number of players, who have represented Europe in the biennial contest who will tee it up this week.

Ross Fisher and Edoardo Molinari, teammates in South Wales in 2010 are returning to the site of that famous victory.

Colin Montgomerie’s team’s victory was sealed by Graeme McDowell on the 16^th hole in the anchor match. The event had run into a fourth day because of torrential rain.

Italian Molinari said: “It’s a golf course that I love. I have great memories from the Ryder Cup and the Wales Open – I played here a couple of times.

“It brings back a lot of fantastic memories, playing with Francesco and the whole team, and managing to win that cup by half a point.

“It was a fantastic week. The weather, so far, looks good. Let’s see what the next few days bring us. It’s always a very enjoyable week here.

“I have two memories – the first tee with Francesco on the first day, which still gives me goosebumps 10 years on.

“Then the last few holes in the singles against Rickie Fowler. I remember how busy it was – how many people were watching. I’ve never seen that many people be so loud on a golf course.”

Next week the Wales Open will be played on Celtic Manor’s Roman Road Course, which also hosted the European Tour event from 2005-7 while the old Wentwood Hills was transformed into the new Ryder Cup course.

Nuneaton’s Andy Sullivan notched his first win in nearly five years in the English Championship at Hanbury Manor last week.

Sullivan seeks more success after ending run

LAST week’s English Championship winner Andy Sullivan, who played in Darren Clarke’s team beaten at Hazeltine in 2016, will hope to consolidate his place at the summit of the UK Swing Order of Merit.

Sullivan, who won for the first time in nearly five years in Hertfordshire on Sunday, said: “It’s a long time waiting for that fourth win. I couldn’t be happier.

“Nice to do it in my own country and get back home with the family and celebrate. I’m still on cloud nine, it’s not quite sunk in yet.

“Florence was elated, bless her, it was my first win with her,” Andy said about his fiancé. “She was over the moon and it was good to see a proper smile on her face.

“Before lockdown I felt I was playing really, really well. I just felt that my attitude wasn’t there. My head wasn’t in the space to win a golf tournament, or compete in a tournament.

“There was a lot of self-reflection over lockdown. I opened up to my team about a lot of hings personally and golf-wise.

“Talked through it and came out with a plan to get my way to being happy and smiley on the golf course – and being competitive.

“I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. To come out and be competitive at the British Masters and then win the third event. It’s amazing and reinforces what we’re doing as a team.”

The top 10 not already exempt after next week’s ISPS Handa Wales Open will earn a place at the US Open, at Winged Foot.

Those finishing inside the top 10 after the sixth and final event – the ISPS Handa UK Championship – will also earn a share of £250,000 to donate to charities of their choice.

•To follow live scoring in the first round of the Celtic Championship click here.

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Nicholas Colsearts has had three runner-up finishes since playing for the winning European Ryder Cup team in the miracle at Medinah seven years ago. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

NICOLAS Colsaerts will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Amundi Open de France after a Saturday round of 67 took him to 13-under, at Le Golf National.

The big-hitting Belgian claimed the last of his two European Tour titles in 2012, the same season he was part of the famous Miracle at Medinah when Europe came back from 10-4 down to win the Ryder Cup.

Colsaerts said: “I’m a bit on a mission. I have a lot to play for. It’s not like actually winning this tournament is at the forefront of my mind.

“I stil. have to play shots. It got a little bit easier at the end but it’s a difficult course to play. If you just lose a little bit of focus, which I think if I looked at the leaderboard and everything, I might do.

“I’m in control of a lot of things, my striking, my emotions, for whatever reason I can’t tell you. It would be amazing to win this thing.

“But like I said, if I stay away from thinking that, I think my chances will be a lot higher than if I see this thing right in front of me.”

Colsearts has had three second places since then and has finished inside the top 100 on the Race to Dubai Rankings every season, but is currently 114th and battling to keep his playing privileges.

South Africa’s George Coetzee’s round of 70 took him to 10-under, as he kept within touching distance of the lead despite a double bogey on the 13^th, which had followed a monster putt for birdie on the previous hole.

Coetzee, whose last win came in March 2018 in his native South Africa, said: “I was hoping it would continue but came to an abrupt halt on 13.

“Kind of the way I’ve been playing this week. It’s either hot off the blocks, or just hold on until you find something, and when you find something, just try and keep it.

“You’d think the putt on 12 was the best putt I hit today, but the putt on 13 for bogey was probably the best putt I hit.

“Because if I had not hit a good putt, I might have left myself a tester for about a double, probably would have been a triple.

“I’m reasonably happy getting out of that hole with a double. I guess I’ll have to play really good golf tomorrow.”

Jamie Donaldson is another Ryder Cup star battling to keep his card and the Welshman celebrated his birthday by  recording a 66 to sit one shot further back at nine-under alongside America’s Kurt Kitayama, who is seeking a third win of his rookie season on the European Tour.

Donaldson, who hit the winning putt at Gleneagles in 2014, said: “I played nicely most of the way.

“Very happy, being my birthday and all. You don’t really try to remember your birthday when you get to 40-plus, but yeah, a memorable day on my birthday.

“Just keep playing the way I’ve been playing the last three days, which is being aggressive. I’ve got a game plan, but I need to be pushing on to try to win the tournament.”

Kitayama, who is favourite to win the Siry Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award after his two wins in his first four months on tour, said: “I just didn’t make as many putts as I made the first two days.

“Still got plenty of opportunities. Just didn’t roll it well. I won’t think about it too much, just felt a little off today. Just look forward to tomorrow.

“I’m quite a few back, so going to have to stay a little aggressive and then, hopefully get off to a hot start, put on a little pressure early. See what happens.”

Dane Joachim B Hansen carded a remarkable 69 as he overcame a quintuple bogey nine on the 13th to get to eight-under alongside Ireland’s Gavin Moynihan and Scot Richie Ramsay.

Benjamin Hebert remains the leading French player at seven-under after rounds of 66, 71 and 69, alongside German Major winner Martin Kaymer and South African Brandon Stone.P

•For live scoring at Le Golf National click here.

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All the European Tour’s new innovations at this week’s GolfSixes point to another fun week as the event moves to Cascais in Portugal. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

THE European Tour’s drive for innovation in golf will continue apace this week when GolfSixes Cascais heralds a new era on continental European soil for the fast and fun six-hole knockout format, which proved such a success in its first two editions in England.

Team Ireland’s Paul Dunne and Gavin Moynihan will defend their title at Oitavos Dunes when the two-day event tees off on Friday, and the field also includes Ryder Cup winners Jamie Donaldson of Wales, Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and Edoardo Molinari of Italy.

With 16 teams taking part – 12 qualifying teams of European Tour players and four wildcard teams, two of them all-female – the opening day will feature a round-robin format with four groups of four, before the top two teams in each group progress to Saturday’s knockout stages.

Matches will be played in a modified Greensomes format, with all four players teeing off on every hole.

Each duo will choose their team ball for the second shot and will play alternate shots thereafter.

Innovations include:

• Players are permitted to wear shorts in competitive play for the first time in European Tour history
• Players are permitted to use measuring devices for the first time in European Tour history
• To reduce plastic waste, players will be provided with water bottles which they can fill at various stops around the course
• Drone footage will be used during tournament play for the first time
• The fourth hole will utilise a Shot Clock, with all strokes to be played within 30 seconds
• The sixth and final hole will tee off from a platform located on top of a swimming pool, surrounded by fans and VIPs and a live DJ

•For more details about the competition click here.

The Draw:

Friday June 7

Saturday June 8

Quarter-finals

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