Connor Syme rues 'frustrating' hole despite fourth top-ten finish on the trot
Playing in the final group in the $9 million Rolex Series event alongside Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood, the 28-year-old Drumoig-based player had to settle for a closing two-over-par 74 after running up a triple-bogey 7 at the eighth.
A pushed iron off the tee left him facing a tough second shot to a green guarded by water and he pulled his approach into the trees. He then hit a provisional ball into the water before doing exactly the same thing when having to go back to the same spot to hit his fourth shot.
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Hide Ad“It’s just so frustrating about the eighth,” said Syme afterwards as he reflected on that costly hole effectively ending any realistic title hopes. “I was hitting a wood off the tee earlier in the week and getting it past the dip in the fairway. But, with the front flag, I could lay it back. The wind was gusting at that point and I just leaned on my 4-iron a little bit and it ended up in a bad spot.
“I should have taken my medicine really and chopped it down the fairway but I ended up in all sorts of bother and did really well to make a 7, to be honest.”
To his credit, the former Australian Amateur champion repaired that damage with a burst of three birdies in four holes from the 14th before covering the closing stretch in one under.
“From that point, I was really chuffed about how I battled because I was four or five over at that point and it wasn’t looking great,” he added. “But I managed to make a few birdies. It was good to grind out a score, although it was still disappointing.”
On recording his fourth top-ten finish in a row - he tied for tenth on this occasion to pick up £130,000 and valuable Race to Dubai points - the Scot admitted: “Yeah, it’s good.”
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