GolfSixes: Denmark take the title

Final

Denmark 3-1 Australia

Third/Fourth Play-Off

Italy 1-2 Scotland

Semi-final results

Italy 1-2 Denmark

Australia 2-1 Scotland

Quarter-final results

England 1-2 Italy

Denmark 2-1 France

Thailand 2-2 Australia (Australia win on extra holes)

Scotland 3-0 Portugal

Final report

England's Andy Sullivan and Chris Wood called for more players to be given one-shot penalties and "named and shamed" for slow play following the European Tour's inaugural GolfSixes tournament.

The six-hole team event - won by Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard - featured a shot clock on the fourth hole, with players initially allowed 40 seconds to hit their shots in the first two group matches, before that was reduced to 30 seconds for the remaining sessions.

American Paul Peterson was the only player to incur a one-shot penalty for exceeding the 40-second limit in his side's draw with Wales, which ultimately cost the left-hander and partner David Lipsky a place in the quarter-finals.

The reduction from 40 to 30 seconds came at the request of the players and, speaking after England's 2-1 quarter-final loss to Italy, Sullivan said: "We had such a long time, we had ages and it's embarrassing when we're playing on the Tour and it is taking so long.

"I personally think they need to be stricter with it. This week everyone was quicker because they knew as soon as it (the shot clock) went to zero they were getting a shot penalty. In a normal event you have that little bit of leniency.

"It's highlighted you really don't need 40 seconds. It proves everyone can play that quick - it's just the fact that when it's not on them, they won't. It's up to the Tour to push that and get on them."

Wood felt that Peterson would have been "humiliated" by the penalty and added: "I think that's quite a lot to do with it, naming and shaming. There's too much leniency, I think. Players are to blame. You hold your hands up there, but referees can be stronger, I think."

Denmark recovered from an early deficit to beat Australia 3-1 in the final, with Sam Brazel and Scott Hend both driving into the water on the fourth before Olesen converted Bjerregaard's superb tee shot on the fifth.

Olesen, who won the World Cup with Soren Kjeldsen last year, then enjoyed a lucky break when his approach to the last stopped inches from the water and Australia were unable to find the birdie required to potentially force a play-off.

"It's gone pretty well for me in team events recently so I was hoping for a win and Lucas played great, especially the last six holes," Olesen said. "It's been a great week and I'm really happy to hear it's coming back because we really enjoyed it."

Earlier in the day, England lost to Italy when Wood drove out of bounds on the last and Sullivan's tee shot found a fairway bunker to give the upper hand to their opponents, who took full advantage with a brilliant approach by Matteo Manassero to 10 feet.

When Wood missed from 20 feet for birdie the Italians had two putts to win, but Renato Paratore ended the match in style by holing for an eagle three.

Scotland's Marc Warren and Richie Ramsay needed just four holes to beat Portugal in their quarter-final thanks to two birdies and an eagle, but then failed to produce a single birdie in a disappointing semi-final loss to Australia.

After losing the second hole to a birdie, the Scots were gifted a lifeline when Australia contrived to three-putt the fifth, but Warren drove out of bounds on the last and then pushed his approach into the water to effectively seal his side's fate.

"We just didn't get the scores on the board," Warren said. "It was there for us to win. I thought my tee shot might not have been too bad but then I had to go in with a three wood, and to put Richie in that situation was pretty disappointing given the way we've played."

Asked about the tournament as a whole, Ramsay added: "It's really good. It's like everything - we need a bit of traction. We'll go away and tell people what it was like. We take this first concept and refine it so it becomes really, really attractive for folk coming in."

Scotland beat Italy in the third/fourth place play-off via a nearest-the-pin contest on the second extra hole.

Semi-final report

Scotland's run came to a disappointing end in the semi-finals of the GolfSixes as Marc Warren and Richie Ramsay were unable to record a single birdie in a 2-1 loss to Australia.

After losing the second hole to a birdie the Scots were gifted a lifeline when Scott Hend and Sam Brazel contrived to three-putt the fifth, but Warren then pushed his approach to the last into the water to effectively seal his side's fate.

That meant Australia would take on Denmark in the final after the Danes had birdied the last to beat Italy 2-1.

Quarter-final report

Pre-tournament favourites England bowed out of the inaugural GolfSixes on Sunday as Scotland kept home interest alive with a crushing victory over Portugal.

Ryder Cup team-mates Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan lost 2-1 to Italy in the quarter-finals, but Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Marc Warren continued their impressive progress at Centurion Club.

After losing the second hole to a birdie but winning the next with an eagle, Sullivan had kept the scores level with a crucial birdie from 15 feet on the fifth, with Matteo Manassero left with a tap-in following a superb tee shot from Renato Paratore.

However, Wood drove out of bounds on the last and Sullivan's tee shot found a fairway bunker to give the upper hand to their opponents, who took full advantage with a brilliant approach to 10 feet.

When Wood missed from 20 feet for birdie the Italians had two putts to win, but Paratore ended the match in style by holing for an eagle three.

"It's just a shame down the last me and Woody didn't hit the best of drives," Sullivan said. "It's important on the par fives to get it in the fairway and give yourself a chance and we didn't do that.

"But it's been an unbelievable week and really taken off and I think this has massive legs to go further. You need to get guys who are willing to, not act silly, but get into the theme of having fun and I think that's what it's about.

"The best thing about it is that we had a lot of fun out there, but the competitiveness is there as well. I think it's the perfect combination over such a short format."

Italy will face Denmark in the semi-finals after Thorbjorn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard eagled the last to beat France 2-1, while Scotland - who needed just four holes to beat Portugal thanks to two birdies and an eagle - will take on Australia, who beat Thailand on the first play-off hole.

Group stage winners

Group A: England, Denmark

Group B: Thailand, Scotland

Group C: Portugal, Australia

Group D: France, Italy

Quarter-final draw:  England v Italy; Denmark v France; Thailand v Australia; Scotland v Portugal. Matches played Sunday, May 7.

All Group Stage results below

Group stage report

Andy Sullivan says GolfSixes could play a major part in the future of the game after helping England reach the quarter-finals of the inaugural event.

Sullivan admitted he and Chris Wood were lucky after scraping a draw in their first group match when opponents India three-putted the final hole.

But after another draw with Denmark left the pre-tournament favourites needing victory against Holland to guarantee their progress, the Ryder Cup team-mates combined to birdie five of the six holes for an emphatic 4-0 win.

"We left ourselves with a little bit of work to do, but got the job done," Sullivan said.

"I know we're having a good time out there, but you still want to represent your country well. We're both pretty patriotic and when we go out there we want to do the job."

Under the greensomes format, both players tee off on each hole before selecting the best shot and playing alternate shots thereafter. One point is awarded for each hole won, with teams claiming three points for a win and one for a draw.

Each of the six holes has its own theme, including a long-drive contest, nearest the pin and a shot clock, where players faced a one-shot penalty for exceeding the 40-second time limit.

The players had emerged through a cloud of smoke as they were introduced on the first tee and Sullivan went so far as to engage in an enthusiastic chest-bump with the mascot.

"I really enjoy letting myself go and having a good time," the former supermarket shelf-stacker added.

"This sort of thing is perfect for me where you can interact with the crowd and really get them going.

"Golf can benefit from that and it's something to bring the fans closer and show we are not all robots and we actually have a personality.

"The atmosphere from the start has been brilliant, and there has been a lot of home support which is great for us. Hopefully that can push us on tomorrow and I think this can really be something big in the future for golf. You won't get away from the traditional 72-hole (events), but I think a few more events like this could really transform golf."

Wood admitted he could "do without" some of the bells and whistles, but would like to see the format exported to other parts of the world.

"Keeping it in cities would be a good idea but I am definitely up for taking it around the world a little bit - imagine this in Manchester, New York, Paris," he said.

England will face Italy - represented by Matteo Manassero and Renato Paratore - in the last eight, with Scotland taking on Portugal after both sides qualified with a game to spare by winning their first two matches.

Scotland beat Belgium 3-2 thanks to an eagle on the last, with Marc Warren and Richie Ramsay then producing another eagle and three birdies to defeat Spain by the same score.

"We were in the Group of Death and knew we would have to play well to finish in the top two," Warren said.

"To qualify before our final game was definitely a bonus."

A 3-1 defeat to Thailand in the final game meant Thailand topped the group and will face Australia in the quarter-finals, with Denmark taking on France.

The only penalty for slow play was incurred by American Paul Peterson and it proved costly as the left-hander and partner David Lipsky lost the hole and could only draw their match with Wales.

And after beating Portugal in their final game, the American pair finished just two points behind Australia with a better holes-won differential.

"I kind of figured at least one of the caddies or somebody would say 'You've got 10 (seconds), or some kind of countdown," Peterson said. "I had no clue. I feel like I let the team down.

"We played so well, birdied the first three holes and then obviously got that penalty."

Group stage scores

Group A

England 2-2 India

Denmark 1-1 Netherlands

England 0-0 Denmark

Netherlands 2-1 India

Denmark 1-0 India

England 4-0 Netherlands

Group B

Scotland 3-2 Belgium

Thailand 1-1 Spain

Thailand 2-1 Belgium

Spain 2-3 Scotland

Belgium 2-1 Spain

Thailand 3-1 Scotland

Group C

Australia 1-0 USA

Wales 0-4 Portugal

Wales 1-1 USA

Australia 0-4 Portugal

Australia 2-1 Wales

USA 1-0 Portugal

Group D

South Africa 0-0 Italy

Sweden 2-3 France

France 2-2 Italy

South Africa 1-2 Sweden

Sweden 0-1 Italy

South Africa 0-1 France