Rasmus Hojgaard enjoys ‘amazing feeling’ after SPS Handa UK Championship win

Danish teenager overcomes Walters to claim his second European Tour title

Rasmus Hojgaard shows off his trophy following his victory in the ISPS Handa UK Championship at The Belfry yesterday. Picture: PA.

Danish teenager Rasmus Hojgaard defeated Justin Walters in a play-off at the ISPS Handa UK Championship to secure his second European Tour title in only his 15th start.

Hojgaard won with a par on the second extra hole at The Belfry after he and overnight leader Walters had finished tied on 14 under par.

The 19-year-old fell two shots off the pace when he bogeyed the 12th, but birdied the 14th and 16th and holed from ten feet for eagle on the 17th to complete a superb closing 65.

Walters, who began the day with a two-shot lead, ran up a triple-bogey seven on the eighth after hitting his tee shot out of bounds, but recovered superbly and birdied three of the last five holes to force a play-off.

The 39-year-old bravely holed from ten feet for par on the first extra hole but was unable to repeat the feat from a similar distance at the second time of asking after carving his approach wide of the green from a fairway bunker.

Hojgaard only secured his European Tour card at the qualifying school in November 2019 and won a play-off in the Mauritius Open the following month.

“It’s hard to describe,” Hojgaard said. “It’s obviously an amazing feeling to get the win. It’s happened really quick and I’m kind of lost for words.

“It was a tough day. I was a bit disappointed to make a bogey on 12 and a par on 15, but from then my goal was just to give myself some good chances. That shot on 17 was quite good and set up an eagle. I had 237 metres into the wind so was between a three wood and a hybrid. I went with hybrid trying to hit a low draw and it came out perfect to ten feet.”

Walters, who was chasing his first European Tour title in his 227th start, said: “It’s disappointing but I’ve only got myself to blame. I hit three bad tee shots in regulation which really cost me but after all that, to birdie three out of my last five holes is good too, so I’ve got to focus on that.”

Former world No 1 Martin Kaymer, whose last win was the second of his two major titles in the 2014 US Open, had held the outright lead after his third birdie of the day on the 13th. However, after lipping out for an eagle and tapping in for birdie on the 15th, Kaymer dropped his only shot of the day on the par-five 17th and was unable to hole from 15 feet on the last to join the play-off.

“Unfortunately it was not meant to be today,” said Kaymer, who finished in a tie for third with France’s Benjamin Hebert.

Emily Kristine Pedersen won the Czech Ladies Open by four shots from Austria’s Christine Wolf. The 24-year-old Dane, who finished on 17 under par, signed off with an 80-foot eagle putt on the 18th. She said: “That was a bonus. It was a bit of luck holing one that far, but it was nice.”

Meanwhile, England’s Joe Long overcame practice partner Joe Harvey to win the 125th Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Only weeks after playing a midweek medal together, the 23-year-old pair went head-to-head in the 36-hole final and Long emerged a 4&3 winner to secure exemptions for the Open Championship, the US Open and the Masters.

“Wow, when you say all the exemptions it’s going to be incredible,” Long said. “This is what I have worked hard for since I started playing golf. I really stuck in there and battled, I am just so chuffed.

“It’s really good and hard at the same time (to face Harvey) because we both wanted to do well. He is a really good mate and when I win it is hard to see him lose. But it is all part of the sport we play and the match was played in great spirit, we enjoyed it out there.”

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