St Andrews Magazine Edition 04

As the PGA Tour season
draws to a close at the
end of September with
the TOUR
CHAMPIONSHIP the
world’s attention will
next turn to the Ryder
Cup and then the
climax to the European
Tour’s Race to Dubai.
Specifically, the Rolex
Series and the Turkish
Airlines Open, Nedbank
Golf Challenge and
the DP World Tour
Championship.
Rolex has cemented its
place at the heart of
the game in Europe,
and the introduction of
the Rolex Series offers
players the chance to
compete in a new
premium tournament
category on the
European Tour’s
International Schedule.
The 2018 Rolex Series
has already seen great
drama and excitement
at five tournaments
across Europe,
beginning with the
European Tour’s
flagship tournament –
the BMW PGA
Championship.
Francesco Molinari
produced a superb
performance to outlast
a quality field including
four-time Major
Champion and former
World Number One,
Rory McIlroy.
The Italian shot a final
round of 68 to win by
two from McIlroy and
three from the
defending champion
Alex Noren. In the
following week, the
Italian Open was
centre stage and it was
Dane Thorbjorn Olesen
who walked away with
the winners share of
$7million.
Olesen, a former Alfred
Dunhill Links Champion,
shot a final round of 64
to overcome home
favourite Molinari by a
single shot on a
dramatic final day in
Brescia. The victory
would be central to
securing a debut in the
European Ryder Cup
team in France.
The most recent Rolex
Series events would be
part of a golden
summer for the
European Tour,
beginning at the HNA
Open de France at
Ryder Cup host course,
Le Golf National.
Once again it would
be a come from
behind victory for Alex
Noren, winner of the
very first Rolex Series
tournament in 2017.
The Swede shot a final
round of 67 to defeat
Scotland’s Russell Knox
by a single shot.
Success in a Rolex
Series event would
again be vital to
helping Noren secure
his debut in the Ryder
Cup this September.
Indeed, victories in the
Premier tournament
category of the
European Tour has
helped Noren, Olesen,
Rahm and Tommy
Fleetwood secure their
places in the European
Team. Following a
narrow defeat in
France, Scot Knox
would go on to claim a
dramatic first European
Tour title at the Dubai
Duty Free Irish Open
the following week.
Trailing entering the
final round the former
WGC-HSBC Champion
would produce drama
of the highest order to
edge out New
Zealand’s Ryan Fox in a
playoff at Ballyliffin.
Knox holed 40-foot
putts on both the 72 nd
hole and the first hole
of the playoff to thrill
the large galleries and
take the spoils.
In the following week
the cream of the
European Tour and
many of the best in
world golf headed to
Knox’s homeland for
the Aberdeen Asset
Management Scottish
Open. Once more we
had final round