England’s Ian Poulter boarded a trans-Atlantic flight to the United States on an adrenalin ‘high’ that almost made his mode of transport superfluous after capturing a magnificent inaugural Nordic Open at Simon’s Golf Club near Copenhagen by one stroke from Colin Montgomerie of Scotland.
Large and enthusiastic galleries were enraptured as several players, including local hero Søren Hansen, held potential winning chances before Montgomerie came up just short of Poulter’s total of 266, 22 under par, after missing a 15 foot birdie putt on the final green.
There was an irony in the winning total, as Montgomerie had predicted on Thursday that 22 under would prevail. It did – but to the Scot’s chagrin it was his English rival who reached the ‘magic mark’ and headed for the US PGA Championship with his fifth European Tour victory under his belt.
Poulter fired a final round of 66, six under par, but missed opportunities at the par five 17th and 18th to extend his advantage and leave his pursuers chasing in vain. Montgomerie birdied the 17th from six feet but could not squeeze out one more birdie at the last to force a play-off.
A round of 68 saw him finish alone in second place on 267 with a trio of players sharing third on 268 – Stephen Gallacher of Scotland, who signed for a best of the day 63, Hansen (69) and Frenchman Gregory Havret, the halfway leader who closed with a 68.
Poulter won €266,660 (£187,002) to move into fifth place on the Volvo Order of Merit with earnings of €1,010,012 (£708,298), while his second victory over the season took his accumulative career winnings through the €3,000,000 barrier.
The man from Leighton Buzzard in Hertfordshire was winning from behind for the first time, his other successes coming as a front runner. It was also the 16th win on The 2003 European Tour International Schedule by a former European Challenge Tour Member.
Poulter said: “It really was a perfect day. I thought 22 or 23 under par was going to be a good total and I thought 66 could be the number for me. Thankfully Colin missed the putt on the last and the flight to the United States will be very pleasant now.”
Renowned for his outrageous hairstyles – he currently sports blond and black stripes – Poulter added with a grin: “It was nice to let my golf do the talking and stop people from talking about my hair.”
Montgomerie, who opened with a round of 70 then played the next 54 holes in 19 under par, was not complaining after his highest finish of the season.
He commented: “Winning is nice but second isn’t bad before I go to the US PGA. I said that 22 under would win and I didn’t quite get there. I had two bogeys today and that isn’t good enough. I was given a chance by Ian over the closing holes but couldn’t take it.”
Hansen, who shot a course recording equalling 62 in the third round to share the lead with Montgomerie going into the final round, was not able to present the excited crowds with the home victory they craved. However he and his fellow Danish players ensured that the first Nordic Open was an enormous success.
“It’s difficult to follow up a 62 with a really low score and the putts just didn’t drop today” said Hansen. “I missed a really short one of about a foot at the 12th and that stopped me in my tracks. I lost the head there just for a minute. I was too busy thinking about everybody moving around.”
Gallacher’s inward half of 30 contained two superb eagles and the share of third place moved the Scot to 36th on the Volvo Order of Merit. Meanwhile Havret moved into the top100 to safeguard his card for 2004.
