Wales Open. Connor Syme with half-way Lead.

Connor Syme from Scotland has the half-way lead at the Wales Open being played in brutal conditions at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.Connor shot a second round -1 under par 70 to stay on top of the Wales Open leaderboard with a two shot advantage at -6 under par for the tournament;

“That was brutal, to be honest, I thought yesterday was tough but going through what we went through there, we got quite lucky yesterday to be honest.”

“It was a real grind, that was some of the hardest conditions I’ve played in.”

“Although both my bogeys were three-putts it was one of those days where you’re just trying to find the green, and missing it on the correct side was key to be honest. So I really trusted my pace putting, holed a couple of nice ones but that was the key to a solid score in that wind.”

Six players are then tied in second place at -4 under; Liam Johnston, Jordan Smith, Sebastian Soderberg, Li Haotong, Nacho Elvira and Sihwan Kim.

Nacho was one of only two players not to make a bogey today;

“I played pretty solid I think, It was all about the short game today because I missed a lot of greens just about with this wind, misjudged some distances. So my chipping and putting was on point today.”

Celtic Classic. Sam Wins Again.

Sam Horsfield made the Celtic Classic win his second victory since the comeback, earning a two shot victory at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, after two hour rain delay.

Sam carded a bogey free final round -4 under par 67, for a tournament total of -18 under par, to win the Celtic Classic, recording his second win on the European Tour this season;

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

“I’m a little more relaxed than last time I did it. It was good. I felt like I played really solid all day and gave myself a lot of opportunities.”

“After I missed the cut last week I was never concerned. I felt like after your first win and everything that was going on I felt a little mentally drained and I probably should have decided to take the week off. I just wasn’t all there but I knew my game was in good shape so I basically just forgot about last week.”

“It was pretty dark coming down 18. That putt on 18 I couldn’t really see much of what was going on but I was set in stone on finishing that round.”

“I didn’t want to get up at whatever time and finish on Monday morning.”

Thomas Detry finished in second place, two shots back at -16 under par, followiing his last round -4 under 67.

Thomas Pieters, -4 under 67 today, Andrew Beef Johnston, -3 under 68,  and Connor Syme with a last round of even par 71 tied in third place at -15 under par.

Danny Willett Wins The DP World Tour Championship.

Danny Willett, England, wins the  DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, while Francesco Molinari of Italy won The Race to Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates.                        Danny and his Trophy / getty

Danny carded a final round -4 under par 68 to win the  DP World Tour Championship with a -18 under par tournament total;

“It’s been a lot of hard work, it’s been tough.”

“I’m just massively proud of myself and everyone that’s been around me.”

“You never quite know when a win is around the corner and with all the things that have happened, I was never quite sure if it was going to happen again.”

“To happen here at the end of year, we’ve battled long and hard through this season to come out at the end, regardless of what happened today, a better person and a better athlete. It’s a special place.”

“It’s been a hell of a lot of work and it’s just nice to be back.”

Second place, at -16 under, was shared between Matt Wallace, England, -4 under 68 today, and Patrick Reed of the USA who signed for a final round -2 under 70.

Francesco Molinari was crowned champion of the year-long The Race to Dubai, becoming the first Italian to hold the title.                                     A Proud Francesco / getty

“It’s incredible, now I’m going to have time to sit down and relax and really think back about the last few months.”

“This morning on the first tee the announcement is the winner of The Open Championship, Race to Dubai leader, it doesn’t sound real at the moment.”

“It’s more than I ever dreamed of achieving.”

“I’ve seen guys that I think are better players than me not winning Majors and not winning Order of Merits or Race to Dubais.”

“To achieve those things in one single season is just incredible.”

Alfred Dunhill Championship. 1st Round Suspended.

1st round play in the Alfred Dunhill Championship was suspended due to a weather warning at Leopards Creek Country Club in South Africa.

Chrsitiaan Basson / Getty Images

Home town boy Christiaan Basson was the leader in the clubhouse in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, as play was suspended, with a completed bogey free first round of -8 under par 64, giving him a three shot lead. He and the other leaders took full advantage of his early tee time, and Christiaan said he had played very well;

“I played very well today, I was pleasantly surprised. I was coming into this week with good form but you can’t expect that good a round first off.

“Hopefully I can keep playing the way I’m playing, golf is a funny game, you never know what is going to happen.”

“We’ve just found something that I was doing wrong coming into Cape Town and that’s just one swing thought that has kind of got me on track.”

“It’s not a big thing, it’s a basic thing but it’s made all the difference the last two weeks and I’m quite happy.”

Sharing second place at -5 under par are, Mark Williams from Zimbabwe, Matt Ford, England, with another South African Charl Schwartzel, who still has one hole left to complete.

Defending Champion Branden Grace, who finished third in The Race to Dubai last week carded a first round of -1 under par 71.

There are still 39 players yet to finish their opening rounds, with play set to resume at 0630 local time on Friday.

Rory Wins It All.

Rory McIlroy wins it all, the DP World Tour Championship, and along with it The Race to Dubai, at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Rory and Trophies / Getty Images

Rory won the DP World Tour Championship with  a final round -6 under par 66 to give him a tournament total of -21 under, and a one shot victory. The win also gave him The Race to Dubai trophy, his nearest rival Danny Willett finished seven shots back at -13 under par, in a tie for fourth.

Rory beat Andy Sullivan by that one shot, but not without some drama, it came when Rory found water on the par thee 17th, and then had a 35 ft bogey putt, which he made, that gave him a one shot advantage playing the last;

“It’s definitely the longest putt I’ve ever made for a bogey.”

“I don’t think there’s been one that’s ever come at a better time, so definitely the best bogey of my career.”

“I guess if I had been tied playing the last, I would have backed myself with my length, but giving myself that one-shot cushion made a huge difference and I was able to just hang on.”

“I’ve played really good golf this week, 13 under par at the weekend, I couldn’t think of a better way to finish the season.”

“It means an awful lot, I had to play so well over the weekend. Dubai has been a pretty sweet place for me.”

Andy gave it his all, but in the end came up just short, the putts would not drop;

“Just to come up head-to-head with someone of Rory’s quality, it was absolutely awesome and something that will stick with me for a long time going forward.”

“I gave it everything on that front nine, I just couldn’t quite get the putts to drop on the back nine. I’ve got so much to take from this week, both the way I’ve played and how I’ve handled it.” 

“For me it’s about doing it on a more consistent basis and getting up there and trying to get in the last group with Rory more often.”

Branden Grace was third, he carded a final round -5 under 67, for a -15 under par total.

Resplendent Rory / Getty Images

 

DP World Tour Championship. Andy Leads Rory.

Andy Sullivan leads Rory McIlroy after 54 holes of the DP World Tour Championship at  Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

 

Andy and Rory / Getty Images

Andy shot -4 under par 68 in the third round of the  DP World Tour Championship sit on top of the leaderboard with a -16 under par total.

Andy reckons he just needs to keep on putting well, and he will have a chance;

“If I keep putting the way I am and hitting the ball well, I can still do it. I believe in myself, so I’ll just see but it’s going to be a good day I think.”

“There’s no pressure on me. I’m not expected to win, am I? I can go out there and play golf. No one is going to expect me to beat him tomorrow.”

“So for me it’s a nice position to be in, one in front.”

“I felt pretty calm out there. I got a little bit frustrated through the middle part of the round, just not quite on point on the golf today. I felt like the putter really saved me the last few holes.”

“Sixty eight, the way I played, I was quite happy with that, really. Played a lot better yesterday and only shot two better.”

Rory made a charge today, -7 under par 65, and now has a great chance to win the Race to Dubai title, again, just one shot back at -15 under, but would like to win his third European Tour title for this year as well;

“It’s the only thing left this year.”

“It’s my last round of the year, last round of the season and I want to make the most of it.”

“It would have been nicer to be a shot better going into the last round but I’ve got one more round to go out and give it my all.”

“It would mean an awful lot just being able to go into the Christmas break on a bit of a high note winning The Race to Dubai, winning this tournament, just to get another tournament win.”

“I played fantastically well. I could have been five under through five easily. I hit the ball beautifully.”

“Everything was just firing today and that’s why I’m walking off the golf course a little bit disappointed because that 65 could have easily been a 62 or a 61.”

“But I’m still in a great position going into tomorrow.”

“At the end of the season, if I walk away with four wins, it’s still pretty good.”

“But a Race to Dubai title, even though it wasn’t the season that I wanted, it would just be huge to walk away here on a high tomorrow.”

Patrick Reed holds third place, with a -13 under par total, carding -4 under par 68 today.

Rory’s nearest challenger for the The Race to Dubai title, Danny Willett is now four shots behind, at -11 under, and it would seem that his race is done, but he still has some hope;

“It looks like we’re not going to be a ridiculous way behind. If you can keep it to two or three shots, anything can happen.”

DP World Tour Championship. Sullivan Sets The Pace.

Andy Sullivan set the pace in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, leading at the half-way stage.

Andy Sullivan / Getty Images

Andy shot a consecutive second round -6 under par 66, this time it was bogey free, to lead the DP World Tour Championship with a -12 under total.

He is the only man on The European Tour to have claimed three wins so far this season, and his progress here has kept a large travelling band of Sullivan fans happy;

“It’s absolutely awesome, to be leading after halfway in such a massive event, it’s incredible.”

“I’m just happy I’m doing it in front of my fans, so keep them happy for the weekend anyway.”

“It’s massive and probably a key part of me playing well this week because they just keep going. Even when you start hitting a few wayward shots, things start going wrong, the adrenaline gets going and it’s absolutely fantastic.”

“They have followed me about six or seven times this year and every time they have been there, I’ve done pretty well.”

“So I think I am going to have to start paying for them to come out every week now!”

“There’s a lot of good guys going to be chasing me over the weekend and I’m sure they are going to come at me.”

Low round of the day went to Emiliano Grillo,  -8 under par 64 lifting him up the leaderboard to claim second place on his own at -11 under.

Patrick Reed also went low, -7 under par 65 giving him third place at -9 under par for his 36 holes, and said he will not be distracted;

“Golf’s a game where you can’t let everything distract you and bother you.”

“You’re going to have times where you close out events and you’re going to have other times where you let some slip away.”

“You’re going to hit some good shots and end up getting bad bounces, and you’re going to have bad shots and get good bounces.”

“It’s how you handle all of it and how you move forward. I felt like I’ve done that pretty well and matured in that aspect of the game to not let anything linger on.”

Rory McIlroy, -4 under 68 today, is not far behind, sharing fourth position with Thongchai Jaidee, -5 under 67 and Charl Schwartzel, -7 under 65, the three of them at -8 under par for the tournament.

Rory and Emiliano / Getty Images

Rory played alongside Argentinian Emiliano, who has won on the US PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour recently. For Emiliano it is all about confidence;

“It gives you a lot of confidence.”

“We know there it’s not easy. Anywhere it’s not easy. I was lucky enough to get two wins in a row and that gets me twice the confidence.”

“It’s pretty much like a Major here. You’ve got the best players in the world and you’ve got to play really well to keep it up.”

The really important thing for Rory in his quest to pick up The Race to Dubai title, is that he is now two shots ahead of nearest rival Danny Willett.

Omega European Masters. Danny Does It Again.

Danny Willett does it again, he wins his third European Tour title, the Omega European Masters, at  Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Switzerland.

Danny Willett & Trophy / Getty Images

A final round -5 under par 65, was good enough to give Danny victory at the Omega European Masters, posting a total of -17 under par, squeezing a one shot winning margin.

This win moves Danny up to second place in The Race to Dubai, behind leader Rory McIlroy, and may well see him climb into the top 25 of the Official Golf World Ranking. He spoke about the pressure he felt from Matt Fitzpatrick;

“It was a great day, yesterday was a bit disappointing, but today I played some really good golf.”

“Matt was snapping at my heels all day, so I’m delighted to get the job done.”

“I kept really calm all day, and just waited for the chances to come.”

“Winning is always tough, and the heart rate on 18 was pretty high.”

“Having a lag putt is almost trickier than trying to hole one sometimes, so I was pretty relieved to see it stop a foot or two from the hole.”

“He played some great golf and really kept the pressure on me.”

“But it probably made it a bit easier to be honest, because it meant I could not lose concentration even for a minute.”

“With a bigger lead you can take your foot off the gas a little bit, but today I knew I had to keep attacking and committing fully to shots, and luckily enough it turned out well in the end.”

“Two wins and good performances in Majors and Golf Championships is more than I could have hoped for really, but I have worked really hard so it is nice to get the rewards for it.”

Matt Fitzpatrick finished in second place at -16 under par, a last round -4 under par 66 kept the pressure on the leader all the way to the last hole;

“I played to win but Danny just went one better, so you have to take your hat off to him.”

“I don’t have any regrets whatsoever, and that is all you can ask of yourself. I gave it everything, but Danny was very impressive.”

“There were a couple of turning points which decided it, but I matched him birdie for birdie for the most part. I know Danny very well, he is also from Sheffield so I am very pleased for him.”

“I am really pleased with the week. It has been building for a few weeks now, so hopefully I can get over the line at some stage.”

“It is still only my first season on Tour and I am only 20, so I am still learning every week. Experiences like today’s will be invaluable in the future.” 

Tyrrell Hatton claimed third place, a magnificent 4th round score of -8 under par 62 elevating up the leaderboard to finish on -15 under par, making it an English 1,2,3. He was obviously very happy with his performance;

 “I am really happy. It is my lowest score on The European Tour, so even though I have come up just short I cannot be disappointed.”

“To do it on a Sunday at a place like Crans is very special, so I’ll enjoy this one for a while.”

 

DP World Tour Championship. Rory & Shane Share the Lead.

 

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowery share the first round lead in the season ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Rory McIlroy / Getty Images

Rory and Shane both carded first rounds of -6 under par 66 to sit on top of the DP World Tour Championship leaderboard on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Rory already has The Race to Dubai title in his pocket, but has stated he will contest here, he wants to win;

“It was a great way to start, you never expect to start like that, but I’ve been hitting the ball well for the last couple of weeks that I’ve been practicing and it was just a matter of trying to take that good range play on to the course, and I was able to do that today, which I’m really happy about.” 

“I feel like it really suits my style of play. I can be aggressive with the driver, and that can set me up to hit shorter irons into greens and obviously give myself a lot of birdie opportunities like I did today. 

“I didn’t feel like I took as many of them as I could have but it still added up to six under and I’m very happy with that.”

Shane proved he is still in good form, he birdied four of the last six holes, but said he was thinking about his poor final round last Sunday in Turkey;

“The whole day Sunday and the flight down here you’re thinking about it, it’s one of those things. But I gave myself a chance to win last week. If I can give myself a chance to win again this week, maybe I’ll do it.”

“I have been playing well for most of the year. I’ve been very consistent. I’ve been shooting some great scores, making a lot of birdies and I did that today again.”

Richie Ramsay and Thorbjørn Olesen are a shot off the pace on -5 under par under, with defending champion Henrik Stenson another stroke back sharing fifth place with Emiliano Grillo.

Richie was also happy with his opening round;

“I’m really happy. Obviously it was a great start, three birdies on the spin, and then played lovely in the middle, had a lot of chances but just didn’t take a few.”

“But most important was I stayed patient, stayed with it. I kept on hitting good shots and then took a couple of chances on 14 and 15 and then finished off pretty solid coming down the stretch.”

“I played great in the middle part of the season. I know the game is there, just a matter of staying out of my own way and committing to it.”

Thorbjorn has been in contention a few times this season, and won the  ISPS Handa Perth International;

“It feels like a second home golf course for me really.”

“I played lovely, hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. Hit a few really close, and the putter was working nicely. It was a really solid day.”

“When you’re seven under going to 16, and you know you have 18 which is a possible birdie chance, also, of course it’s a little bit disappointing, but I took a chance and it didn’t work out very well.” 

“I felt like it was going so well and I felt like I could pull it off – that’s what happens in golf.”

DP World Tour Championship. Sweet Success For Stenson.

DP World Tour Championship proved to be a sweet success for Henrik Stenson, becoming the first man to win The Race to Dubai on the European Tour and FedExCup on the US PGA Tour

Henrik Stenson / Getty Images

Henrik with new Rolex watch / Getty Images

Henrik won the DP World Tour Championship by six shots, carding a flawless final round -8 under par 64, and in doing so also won The Race to Dubai at the Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth Course. His winning total score was -25 under par;

“It has been an incredible summer for me, the autumn in America was great and now this. I played so well this week. I knew the guys would try to catch me, especially Ian who never gives up. I wanted to stay ahead of him and I managed to do that. I don’t know how I am going to be able to top this next year but I am going to give my best in the Majors and that becoming the first male Swedish player to win one would be the icing on the cake.”

In second place, and losing his bet, was Ian Poulter, a good final round of -6 under par 66 was not good enough to catch Henrik, but was a commendable effort. Ian finished with a -19 under par tournament total. He said of Henrik’s score;

 “I have to take my hat off to him, unbelievable. I tried to run him down as hard as I could but even with a sore wrist he has pressed on and I just could not get close enough. Henrik has not made a mistake all week and I just had to make sure of second place and some valuable Ryder Cup points. I have thrown a lot at him and given him so much stick, but he is the best player on the planet right now.”

Victor Dubuisson picked up third place, playing alongside Henrik today he could only manage a -1 under par round of 71. He looked shell-shocked out on the course as Henrik constantly bombed drives off the tee with a three wood, still out distancing his efforts with a driver. Victor was alone in third spot at -17 under par.

 Joost Luiten was in fourth place at -16 under par, and a trio of former World Number Ones,  Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, shared fifth spot on -15 under par. It was a welcome return to form for these three as they have not had good results this year.