Marc Warren graduates with distinction

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2006 Scandinavian Masters | Wrap | 07 Aug 2006

Marc Warren has very quickly graduated from his impressive season as the leading money winner on the Challenge Tour in 2005 to become a first time winner on the European Tour.

His playoff victory against the in form golfer and local hero Robert Karlsson at this week’s Scandinavian Masters in Malmo, further confirmed what most insiders already knew, namely that this was a young man going places. It has however taken a while for him to find his feet at a professional level after an amateur career that saw him amongst the best in British golf and a successful Walker Cup team member.

His brilliant season in 2005 when winning twice on the Challenge Tour swept him to the number one position on that money list and although it has again taken him a while to find his feet at this higher level, this was a win with the hallmarks of a much more experienced player.

After three consecutive missed cuts leading into this event, Warren could hardly, even in his wildest dreams, have imagined that a win of this significance was just around the corner but after his opening round of 67 there was certainly promise of a good week. He stayed in touch following his second round of 69 and even a third round of 73 still had him within striking distance.

An opening birdie in the final round saw him immediately challenge the leaders, Robert Karlsson and Nicolas Colsaerts but bogeys at the 6th and 7th holes appeared to have extinguished his chances. With the pressure perhaps off he added further birdies to creep closer to Karlssson who had made such a hot start to his final round.

Karlsson began to struggle himself after making the turn in two under 34 but still appeared to have the tournament in safe keeping with two holes to play. Warren missed a very makeable ten footer at the 17th but at the last, after a wayward tee shot, he hit a brilliant recovery to 12 feet and with Karlsson in trouble at the 17th the putt was about to become crucial to his chances of winning. He made it and the most unlikely birdie had given him a winning chance. When Karlsson bogeyed the 17th he then needed to par the last to tie the Scot which he was able to do but he had let slip a great chance to win his second consecutive tournament.

Warren had won two events on the Challenge Tour last year in playoffs so was not as nervous as he might otherwise have been. He went on to win the second playoff hole after both players had taken bogey at the first.

Any downside Karlsson might have experienced from the loss is compensated by the fact that he now has his Ryder Cup place well and truly safely in his grasp. Many remember the pregnant pause at the announcement of the 1999 Ryder Cup team when Karlsson who was at number 11 in the rankings at that time was not selected by Mark James as one of his two picks as captain. It was perhaps a costly mistake by James but this time Karlsson will have no need to wait until the day of selection.

Richard Sterne finished third while Marcel Siem was fourth.

The best of the Australasians was Wade Ormsby who finished 15th but who still has a lot of work to do if he is to retain his full status for 2006. At least this was a move in the right direction. He is currently 128th on the European Tour money list with the top 115 where he needs to be.

Peter O’Malley was 27th, Michael Campbell 33rd, Mathew Millar 43rd, with David Bransdon and Peter Fowler 62nd.

The European Tour now heads to the KLM Open in the Netherlands before the USPGA Championship the following week.