Renato Paratore
Renato Paratore

Nordea Masters: Miaden European Tour title for Renato Paratore


Italy's Renato Paratore claimed his first European Tour title in the Nordea Masters after overnight leader Chris Wood bogeyed the final hole in Malmo.

Final leading placings


-11 Renato Paratore
-10 Chris Wood, Matthew Fitzpatrick
-9 George Coetzee, Thorbjorn Olesen
-8 Matthieu Pavon
-7 Jamie Donaldson
Scroll down for final collated scores

Day four report


Italy's Renato Paratore claimed his first European Tour title at the Nordea Masters after overnight leader Chris Wood bogeyed the final hole in Malmo.

Paratore carded a closing 70 at Barseback Golf and Country Club to finish 11 under par, the 20-year-old crucially saving par on the 18th after being fortunate to have a shot to the green following a wayward drive.

Playing in the group behind, England's Wood also pulled his tee shot on the last into the trees and was forced to take a penalty drop from an unplayable lie, the resulting bogey dropping him into a tie for second with compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick, the defending champion.

Fitzpatrick was left to rue a double bogey on the third after carding seven birdies in a final round of 68, with Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and South Africa's George Coetzee sharing fourth place on nine under.

Coetzee had surged through the field with a closing 66 which featured two bogeys in the first three holes and nine birdies, while Barseback member and Open champion Henrik Stenson finished in a tie for 26th after a 69.

Paratore is the youngest winner on the European Tour since GolfSixes team-mate Matteo Manassero, who walked the final few holes with his fellow Italian after finishing his own round.

"I couldn't be happier now. This win means a lot to me," Paratore said. 

"I was one behind the leader so I knew if played well I could win and in these tough conditions I kept a good attitude until the end.

"The key points were on eight and nine where I made birdie to come back after a bit of a difficult start. I played more or less solid and the last three holes I managed three very good pars.

"It's big for my confidence because I was looking for this win the last year and now I've achieved that so it's very nice for me."

Wood held a one-shot lead over Paratore and France's Benjamin Hebert entering the final round and got off to a bad start with bogeys on the first and third, but bounced back with three birdies in four holes around the turn.

Another birdie on the par-five 16th took him level with Paratore, who had picked up shots on the 12th and 14th, only for the final tee shot to prove decisive.

"It probably summarised how I felt with my game this week, a little bit scrappy with some really good stuff in there as well," Wood said of his closing 72. "All week I feel like I've been fighting my swing and probably surprised myself as to a lot of the good shots I hit this week.

"Your flaws come out when you're under pressure and left's been my bad shot for a while now. It's obviously disappointing but I'm sure after a couple of days I'll think it's some points on the board, should nudge me back in for the US Open and that's what I came here to do really.

"Overall we've had a great week, but it's hard when you can't close it out."

Wood is set to climb into the top 60 in the world rankings when they are updated on Monday and needs to stay there until June 12 to secure his place in the year's second major championship at Erin Hills.

Final collated scores and totals


(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 73):
(a) denotes amateurs

281 Renato Paratore (Ita) 68 72 71 70

282 Chris Wood 74 68 68 72, Matthew Fitzpatrick 73 70 71 68

283 Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) 72 70 70 71, George Coetzee (Rsa) 73 71 73 66

284 Matthieu Pavon (Fra) 74 69 74 67

285 Jamie Donaldson 69 69 75 72

286 Marcel Siem (Ger) 74 73 71 68, Andrew Sullivan 73 71 73 69, Jeunghun Wang (Kor) 72 71 70 73, Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 73 72 72 69, Eddie Pepperell 70 74 71 71, Austin Connelly (Can) 72 70 73 71, Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 70 71 70 75

287 Alexander Levy (Fra) 74 72 68 73, Alex Noren (Swe) 75 70 71 71, Christofer Blomstrand (Swe) 74 72 72 69, Max Orrin 68 73 72 74, Lee Westwood 73 72 72 70, Bradley Dredge 69 74 74 70

288 Niklas Lemke (Swe) 75 71 70 72, Ryan Fox (Nzl) 75 72 71 70, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 73 74 68 73, Jordan Smith 75 70 72 71, Scott Jamieson 73 71 74 70

289 Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 71 73 70 75, Haotong Li (Chn) 70 75 72 72, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 73 73 71 72, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 73 72 75 69

290 S.S.P Chawrasia (Ind) 71 73 71 75, Kristoffer Broberg (Swe) 73 72 71 74, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 76 71 68 75, Richard Green (Aus) 72 71 75 72, David Lipsky (USA) 75 72 72 71, Nathan Kimsey 74 73 74 69

291 Richie Ramsay 73 72 73 73, Paul Waring 75 71 75 70, Eduardo De La Riva (Spa) 76 71 71 73, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa) 72 74 71 74, Johan Edfors (Swe) 77 69 75 70

292 Shiv Kapur (Ind) 73 73 71 75, Laurie Canter 74 72 72 74, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 73 72 76 71, Sebastian Soderberg (Swe) 71 73 73 75, Tom Lewis 71 72 78 71, Graeme Storm 73 68 75 76

293 Adrien Bernadet (Fra) 76 71 75 71, Scott Hend (Aus) 71 72 76 74, Jens Fahrbring (Swe) 72 75 73 73, Sebastien Gros (Fra) 75 70 72 76, Rikard Karlberg (Swe) 72 75 76 70, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 75 68 76 74

294 Richard Bland 77 70 74 73, Jeff Winther (Den) 71 75 73 75, Stephen Gallacher 74 71 75 74, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 72 73 77 72

295 Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 72 73 74 76, Daniel Brooks 73 73 73 76, Sam Brazel (Aus) 76 71 73 75, Nacho Elvira (Spa) 73 73 75 74, Simon Dyson 73 73 78 71

296 Peter Hanson (Swe) 73 72 74 77, Lucas Bjerregaard (Den) 73 74 78 71, Lasse Jensen (Den) 74 72 75 75

297 Andrew Dodt (Aus) 77 68 73 79, Zander Lombard (Rsa) 73 72 75 77, Matthew Southgate 72 74 76 75

298 Oliver Gillberg (a) (Swe) 76 69 76 77, Joakim Lagergren (Swe) 74 70 77 77

299 Fredrik Nilehn (a) (Swe) 76 70 76 77

302 Pelle Edberg (Swe) 72 75 76 79

304 Matteo Manassero (Ita) 75 72 80 77 

Day three report


England's Chris Wood will take a narrow lead into the final day of the Nordea Masters after reaping the benefit of some hard work in Malmo.

Wood carded a third round of 68 at Barseback Golf and Country Club to finish nine under par, a shot ahead of Italy's Renato Paratore and France's Benjamin Hebert.

Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen is a shot further back after a lost ball on the 18th led to a double-bogey six, with halfway leader Jamie Donaldson struggling to a 75 to fall three off the pace alongside Max Orrin and Wang Jeunghun.

Wood began the day four shots off the lead, but made the ideal start with a birdie on the first and picked up another shot on the fifth before dropping a shot on the sixth.

A birdie on the par-five ninth took Wood to the turn in 34 and the 29-year-old from Bristol followed it with three more in the next four holes and another on the 16th before failing to get up and down from a bunker on the last.

"I've played nice all year without getting any results so in my mind it's a matter of time before I start getting some decent results," Wood told Sky Sports.

"The wind in the pro-am on Wednesday afternoon threw me out a bit and I struggled Thursday, battled round in one over and have been working hard late at night with some drills in the gym just trying to get a bit of a feel for the swing back and it's getting there."

Wood could only finish 49th in the defence of his BMW PGA Championship title at Wentworth last week, but a fourth European Tour title on Sunday would be the ideal response that would also secure a place in the US Open.

The top 60 in the world rankings on June 12 will qualify for the year's second major at Erin Hills, with Wood currently 68th.

"It was a busy week for me last week but driving home with my wife without the trophy was really difficult," Wood added. "We got a great winner in Alex (Noren) but I'll be back next year trying to get the trophy back."

Olesen had held the lead after carding three birdies and an eagle in the space of seven holes from the sixth, but bogeyed the 14th and double-bogeyed the 18th after two wild drives.

"It was going well there for a moment," Olesen said after a round of 70. "Obviously five under would have been a nice round but I hit a couple of really poor shots down 18 and it was a good four with the second ball, so that's a little positive I can take out of it.

"I had three or four shots where I lost a little bit of concentration in my backswing and that cost a few really bad shots. I just have to go out there tomorrow and trust it a little more."

Donaldson began the day with a two-shot lead and recovered from two early bogeys with birdies on the seventh and ninth, but dropped shots on the 12th and 14th.

"Bogeying par fives where you can get on in two is pretty criminal and I didn't finish the way I wanted to," said Donaldson, who claimed the winning point in the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

"A slightly cold putter, which I hope to sort out now, and if it warms up tomorrow I'm only three back."


Day two report


Jamie Donaldson will take a two-shot lead into the third round of the Nordea Masters as he looks to get his career firmly back on track with a fourth European Tour title.

Donaldson carded a second consecutive 69 at Barseback Golf and Country Club to reach eight under par, with Italy's Renato Paratore his nearest challenger on six under.

Englishmen Graeme Storm and Max Orrin and France's Benjamin Hebert are a shot further back, with defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick on three under after carding birdies on the last three holes in his 70.

Open champion and Barseback member Henrik Stenson carded a 72 to lie seven shots off the pace alongside fellow Swede and BMW PGA Championship winner Alex Noren, who returned a 70.

Donaldson reached a career high of 23rd in the world in 2014, the year in which he secured the winning point as Europe defeated the United States at Gleneagles to win a third successive Ryder Cup.

However, the 41-year-old has struggled for form and fitness since winning the Thailand Golf Championship in December 2015 and was lucky to escape serious injury to his left hand the following month after an accident with a chainsaw while gardening.

Donaldson had missed the cut in five of his nine events in 2017, but the world number 256 carded five birdies and one bogey - his first of the week - on Friday to head into the weekend in pole position.

"There were times when the ball wasn't where I wanted it to be, but I made some great escapes and the chipping and putting has been better the last couple of days," Donaldson said.

"I've been playing some nice golf and just not been able to put it all together; the first couple of days here I've been able to do that.

"I've just got to keep doing the same things, don't think too far ahead about winning tournaments as yet because it's only two rounds in."

Storm, who is seeking his second win of the season after beating world number two Rory McIlroy in a play-off for the South African Open in January, carded a 68 which featured seven birdies and two bogeys.

The 39-year-old from Hartlepool bogeyed the final hole at the Portugal Masters last season to seemingly miss out on retaining his card by just 100 euros, but was handed a lifeline when American Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed failed to play enough events to remain on the Race to Dubai.

That meant Storm moved up one place in the standings to claim the 111th and final card and he made the most of his good fortune by beating McIlroy in dramatic style earlier this season.

"After what happened in Portugal last year, getting the reprieve of getting my card back, it kind of made me think I need to work harder, but I need to relax as well," Storm told Sky Sports.

"The mental side of it is always a thing that's kind of dragged me down but I'm enjoying my golf, I've got a great caddie on the bag that talks to me a lot. We're good friends and he's pushing me as hard as he can."

Orrin, who secured a rookie season on the European Tour via the qualifying school, had shared the overnight lead with Paratore but the 23-year-old could only add a 73 to his opening 68. 

Day one report


Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson, who has recorded just one top-10 finish in the last 17 months, carded an opening 69 to lie a shot off the lead in the Nordea Masters.

Donaldson fired four birdies in a flawless round at Barseback Golf and Country Club in Malmo, where Italy's Renato Paratore and England's Max Orrin shared top spot on five under.

Open champion and Barseback member Henrik Stenson birdied two of his last five holes to card a level-par 73 which was matched by defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick, while BMW PGA Championship winner Alex Noren struggled to a 75.

Donaldson reached a career high of 23rd in the world in 2014, the year in which he secured the winning point as Europe defeated the United States at Gleneagles to win a third successive Ryder Cup.

However, the 41-year-old has struggled for form and fitness since winning the Thailand Golf Championship in December 2015 and was lucky to escape serious injury to his left hand the following month after an accident with a chainsaw while gardening.

Donaldson has missed the cut in five of his nine events in 2017 but after starting his round from the 10th with eight straight pars, the world number 256 birdied the 18th, first, second and ninth to share second place with fellow Welshman Bradley Dredge.

"I've been playing okay recently but I just haven't been getting much out of my rounds even when I've been playing nicely," Donaldson said. "I've had a few injuries but I'm happy with how I'm feeling now and how I'm playing.

"It was cold early doors and blowing so I was happy with a 69 in the end. You've just got to try to control your golf ball out there and take advantage of holes playing downwind."

Orrin recovered from a double bogey on the second to post the best score of the afternoon starters, the European Tour rookie carding seven birdies to join Paratore at the top of the leaderboard.

"It was tough out there, a lot of swirling winds which made it difficult judging clubs, but I managed to put a good score together in the end," the 23-year-old said.

"I've been playing well and came close in the US Open qualifier on Monday so I'm really enjoying being out here at the minute."

Dredge matched Donaldson's score thanks to five birdies and a solitary bogey as he continued the good form which saw him secure his US Open debut at the age of 43 at Walton Heath.

"I had been playing well for a bit but just not scoring as well as I would have liked," Dredge said. "I've been hitting the ball well so you just need to be patient with it.

"It's my first US Open in all of these years so I'm really looking forward to it. It will be an interesting challenge."

Stenson admitted his off-course obligations were taking their toll, adding: "I feel like I'm on a bit of a PR tour. I have a lot of things to do.

"But while we're inside the ropes we try to focus on golf. I'm still not 100 per cent happy with my game. I've got a couple of things to work on and hopefully we can step it up a bit as the week goes on.

"It was nice to finish with a birdie. I made about a 12-footer on the ninth there to finish the day level and I'm not in a super-bad position so hopefully it can improve from here."

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