Kinhult holds off British onslaught for maiden title
British Masters report: What happened at Hillside?
Marcus Kinhult closed out a dramatic one-shot victory on Sunday with a brilliant birdie at the last.
Congratulations @marcuskinhult!
Winning your first European Tour title in style!#BetfredBritishMasters pic.twitter.com/VvgYwAl177
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) May 12, 2019
The Swede traded blows with playing partner Matt Wallace throughout the day and held the outright lead at the turn.
Full British Masters leaderboard
Having dropped shots at 15 and 16 to seemingly play his way out of it, Kinhult’s first victory on tour came courtesy of a birdie-birdie finish.
There was some serious pressure on Kinhult’s final putt as Eddie Pepperell, Robert MacIntyre and Wallace were all in place for a play-off should he make par.
Massive up-and-down on 18 from Eddie.
The defending champion sets the target at 15 under par. pic.twitter.com/rED8dTxxNM
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) May 12, 2019
Wallace did have a birdie putt at the last which would have seen him tie Kinhult’s score, but it was not to be, much to the frustration of the Englishman.
Kinhult v Wallace on 18. Birdie to win.
Over to you gentlemen… pic.twitter.com/9ukOtw2faw
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) May 12, 2019
One of the rounds of the day came from defending champion Pepperell who shot a 6-under 66 to earn himself a share of second.
The final British Masters leaderboard was indeed just that, with eight players from England and Scotland finishing in a tie for 8th or better.
British Masters report: Talking points
Until around seven months ago, there was some uncertainty as to whether the British Masters would ever be played again.
Thanks to Tommy Fleetwood and Hillside, the event was able to be staged and was a huge success with sell-out crowds.
But the question that has still been on the lips of many golf followers this weekend was what’s next for the British Masters?
Well, we will be returning to Close House in 2020, with Lee Westwood once again taking on the hosting role.
The announcement, which came on Sunday, ensures we will have at least three tour events in England next year, with the Open at Royal St George’s in Kent.
Another scheduling alteration will see the tournament pushed back in the year’s schedule to take place at the end of July and early August.
A stellar field will be sure to head to the North East, with names such as Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia teeing it up in 2017 when Close House last hosted.
Roll on 2020.
IT'S BACK –
We're proud to announce that we will host the 2020 @Betfred British Masters on the @WestwoodLee Colt course.
Tickets available from https://t.co/IZp2qlYSDA or you can register your interest here https://t.co/QELiXMg9au #BritishMasters #CloseHouse #LeeWestwood pic.twitter.com/MoLfGZk5dd
— Close House Golf (@CloseHouseGolf) May 12, 2019
**
The drama started early in the week as 23-year-old Matthew Jordan smashed the Hillside course record on Thursday.
The Englishman, who is local to the area and plays out of Royal Liverpool Golf Club fired a seriously impressive 63 to end the day on 9-under-par.
In only his 9th European Tour start @matthew_jordan7 shot 63.
A local lad who means business. ?https://t.co/p0jVdKZ3bn
— National Club Golfer (@NCG_com) May 12, 2019
Jordan was making just his ninth European Tour start this week having turned professional in 2018 after briefly reaching a handicap of +7.
His opening round and overall performance at the British Masters, which concluded with a tied 15th finish is all the more impressive when considering that heading into the week he sat at number 837 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Previously, his best European Tour finish was T32 at the Alfred Dunhill Links, proving he is clearly a fan of links golf.
British Masters report: Best quote
Champion Kinhult on his win:
It’s unreal. I’ve been dreaming about it for such a long time and to finally do it is amazing. My knees were shaking on that final putt. My hands were shaking. Everything was shaking.
“It’s hard to remember now. Just so much nerves and so much willpower I guess. It’s a cool feeling.
NCG chatted to Kinhult ahead of the tournament and he seemed confident of a good finish this week. Here’s why…
.@marcuskinhult won the Lytham Trophy in 2015, by 8 shots.
He loves links golf. ?? pic.twitter.com/Mof0Ms5e0Z
— National Club Golfer (@NCG_com) May 12, 2019
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Joe Hughes
Tour editor covering men's golf, women's golf and anything else that involves the word golf, really. The talk is far better than the game, but the work has begun to change that.
