How Anthony Wall won the Paul Lawrie Match Play final

Anthony Wall and Alex Noren battled each other and the wind in today's Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Match Play final. Picture: Getty Images

Anthony Wall (Eng) bt Alex Noren (Swe) 1 hole

As had been the case all his previous matches, Noren was quick out of the blocks on a blustery day on the East Lothian coast, where the wind was gusting to close to 40mph.

After Wall’s opening tee shot was caught by a gust as it ended up in trees on the right, the Swede’s 12-foot birdie putt only just toppled into the hole.

Noren also won the second with a birdie, holing a 25-footer this time as it just caught enough of the hole after he’d driven into trees on the left at the 529-yard par-5.

Wall hit back with his first birdie of the match after a splendid approach to eight feet at the third before the Englishman then got up and down from a bunker at the short fourth for a half.

He would have been equally pleased with a good two-putt from long range at the fifth that kept him one down, especially after he then squared the match at the next.

Noren’s third shot at the 494-yard par 5 was caught in the wind as it came up short and he ended up conceding the hole after taking 6.

The Swede then holed a 10-footer for a half in par-4s at the seventh before looking as though he could lose the ninth after pushing his tee shot into trouble.

It ended up being halved, though, after Noren recovered with a brilliant third shot and Wall, having come up short with his approach at the 420-yard hole, couldn’t make a 4.

The Englishman did get his nose in front, though, for the first time in the match two holes later as he set up a birdie-4 with a lovely chip from the left-hand side of the green.

He then got up and down from a greenside bunker to half the 12th in par-4s before his wonderful pace putting enabled him to stay ahead as he got down in two from long distance at the par-13th.

Wall pushed his approach at the 14th but got up and down after chipping to three feet and confidently rolling in the putt, which he did again from a similar distance at the next after splashing out well from a bunker at the left of the green.

At the driveable 16th, Noren was a bit unluckly to see his tee shot run off the back and end up at the foot of a steep bank, leaving him with the more difficult second shot after Wall had come up just short.

But the Swede holed from 12 feet as it was halved in birdies only to then be robbed at the next as a birdie putt from 15 feet spun out of the hole.

In a bid to get up in two at the last, Noren hit a driver off the deck but still came up short. His pitch wasn’t the best and a half in 5s secured victory for Wall.