Alex Noren is hoping for a case of déjà vu on Sunday night as he looks to defend his ISPS Handa Wales Open title.
The 29 year old romped to a two shot victory at The Celtic Manor Resort 12 months ago having come through US Open Qualifying on the Monday.
The three-time European Tour winner, who took 14th spot in The Race to Dubai last year, finished joint top of this year’s qualifier at Walton Heath to book a place at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, and now hopes to repeat his triumph on the other side of the Severn Bridge as well.
“It was pretty much exactly the same how it happened last year,” said Noren. “I was so pleased to get into the US Open, so I took this week as I was on a high, and then winning here was fantastic and it just went on from there.
“The course suits my eye. I like the long, big courses where if you can drive it well, you've got a big chance.
“So that was the key for me last year at this course, the driving. You need to hit the fairways because this is a tough course. The winning score was not that low last year and it usually isn't.
“Right now I feel better than I did last year at this time. The swing is looking better, everything is looking better, and I've trained a lot better in the last three months than I ever have - it's more quality practice.”
