Noren and O'Hair team up to make Roe's week

GOLF:GIVEN HIS recent views, some people may have believed Bubba Watson again found himself on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean. But the Scandinavian Masters was no misprint, although this time Stockholm and Swedish cool appeared to be more to his liking than France, where the popular American did his best to alienate most of Europe with his gauche comments.

For Bubba, France and its cultural differences, despite his appearance fee, wasn’t his metier. Heck, it just wasn’t the US. But we still love his driving, which is more appropriate to Nasa than to the wonderfully-named Bro Hof Slott track. This week, though, long-hitter Watson was trounced, with the rest of the field, by homester Alex Noren, who showed local knowledge can take you a long way.

Darren Clarke winning last week (yes, he is British, and was brought up on links) and this week Noren on his home turf could tell us something about who might be in the reckoning for this week’s European Tour fixture in Killarney. Very tempting, you must say, that one of the Fantastic Four could win it.

Bubba tied with no less a figure than US colleague Dustin “Major Winner in Waiting” Johnson, for The Aboin Lads, who picked up 1,917 points, to take the team prize.

Eugene Roe may not be threatening to take charge of the competition, with a best ranking of 3,241 and a standing of 3,890, but with Noren and Seán O’Hair, winner at the Canadian Open in Vancouver, in his selection, this week was bumper for him and makes him the best team of the week.

Niall McGonigle, with The Anley 10, took second,while third was the Banteer franchise of Ger Fleming. Noren and O’Hair picked up 405 points each, with Bubba adding 255 from Group Five and Charl Schwartzel coming in with 195 points for his top-10 finish in British Columbia.

The scene is set then for everyone to pile in on home boys Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Pádraig Harrington for this week’s Irish Open.

The winner of the monthly prize for July is Veronique Eloir, who wins a night in the Bridge House, Tullamore, and a round of golf.