Golf

Niklas Norgaard survives late wobble to win British Masters

The Dane duffed three consecutive chips from beside the 15th green but bounced back to win by two shots.

Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard won the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry
Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard won the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry (Bradley Collyer/PA)
By Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent

Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard survived a nerve-racking final round to claim his first DP World Tour title in the Betfred British Masters.

Norgaard carded a closing 72 at The Belfry to finish 16 under par, two shots clear of South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.

The 32-year-old saw his four-shot overnight lead cut to a single stroke after he struggled to the turn in 37 and then saw playing partner Lawrence birdie the 10th and 11th.

However, Norgaard responded superbly by making a birdie on the par-three 12th, where Lawrence missed the green and a par putt from inside three feet.

The two-shot swing left Norgaard three ahead and another long-range birdie on the 14th restored his overnight cushion, only for him to make a complete mess of the next.

From just right of the green on the par five, Norgaard duffed three straight chips – the last moving just a few inches – before two-putting from the fringe for a double-bogey seven.

That cut his lead in half and Lawrence looked set to get within a shot after leaving a long eagle putt on the 17th just two feet from the hole, but Norgaard bravely holed from 10 feet for birdie to remain two clear.

A par on the 18th made Norgaard the third Danish player to win the British Masters after Thomas Bjorn in 2005 and Thorbjorn Olesen in 2022.

Compatriot Rasmus Hojgaard charged through the field with a closing 65 to finish third on 12 under, with France’s Jeong weon Ko another stroke back after a costly double-bogey six on the 18th.

“You have no idea how much it means,” Norgaard said. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I was 10 years old.

“I’ve had kind of a long career, just moving slowly ahead and every year getting a little bit better. I’ve never won on the Challenge Tour, nothing like that, so to win here for a first win I feel very good.

Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard is sprayed with champagne after winning the Betfred British Masters
Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard is sprayed with champagne after winning the Betfred British Masters (Bradley Collyer/PA)

“I was trying not to think about it too much but this morning I almost threw up at breakfast, I was just so nervous.

“After that putt on 14 I was in a really good place and I think I just got a little bit ahead of myself. I was hitting an eight iron to the green (on 15) and thinking about making birdie to be five ahead and that’s what got to me.

“I was not that nervous there, I’m just really bad at chipping sometimes, but luckily I made a few putts coming in and the way I bounced back I’m really proud.”

Asked about winning the first Ryder Cup qualifying event, Norgaard added: “I didn’t even know. That’s a good start.

“It’s the ultimate goal for sure but I’ve just been thinking so much about getting into the final event of the season this year. Getting into the top 50 (on the Race to Dubai) has been on my radar so I think this should secure it now.”