Calum bags second win to leave him just one short of big-time step up
Calum Hill picked up the second win in his last three starts by sealing a one-shot victory at the Made In Denmark Challenge yesterday.
The Scot began the final day in a five-way tie for the lead, but birdied his first two holes and then continued to push further under par, playing the sort of game which has characterised the last month of his career.
In a run of form beginning at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, where he finished as the joint low-Scot, he has played four tournaments in a combined 67-under-par, winning the Euram Bank Open and finishing tied-third at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge in the process, before triumphing this week in Skanderborg.
“I had a fantastic week up in Scotland with it being my first taste of a Rolex Series event,” said the 24-year-old.
“Having a nice finish there just put a little cherry on top and gave me a little bit of confidence going forward.
“Then winning in Austria was a really big boost and it got me feeling good. I didn’t get it done last week in Finland, but I’m very happy to have another good week here in Denmark.
“If you can keep having good weeks it makes a big difference.”
Hill now finds himself second in the Challenge Tour Rankings, and in pursuit of a third win this season, which would see him immediately graduate to the European Tour under the threewin rule.
“A third win would obviously be the best outcome if that were able to happen,” he said.
“If not, I’ll carry on for the rest of the season and hope to stay in that top 15 and get a European Tour card for next year, but I’m very happy with how things have panned out and I can’t complain at all.”
Joel Sjöholm carded rounds of 65-69-65-68 to finish alone in second. The Swede pushed Hill right to the end, making a brilliant up and down on the final hole to secure his position on 22-underpar and force Hill to make an up-and-down of his own for the win.
The runner-up finish is the second of the season for Sjöholm, and moves him 30 places up the rankings into eighth.
The low-Dane honours at the Made In Denmark Challenge went to Benjamin Poke, who set the clubhouse target of 20 under par and finished in a tie for third with Dutchman Daan Huizing.
The Challenge Tour will now travel to the innovative ISPS Handa World Invitational Men/ Women, Presented by Modest! Golf Management.
The ground-breaking event will mark the first time that men and women compete in one tournament for equal prize funds in Europe and will take place at Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort in Northern Ireland from August 15-18.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Carly Booth carded a third-round 66 to climb up to joint fifth place at the Ladies Scottish Open behind new leader Moriya Jutanugarn.
Thailand’s Jutanugarn will take a one-shot lead into today’s final round after shooting a 67, having started the day two strokes behind overnight leader Mi Jung Hur.
South Korean Hur shares second place with compatriot Jeongeun Lee, who matched Booth’s 66 at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian.
Booth started the day tied in 14th place, but her five-underpar total for the day moved her to 10-under alongside Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, South Korea’s Chella Choi, American Jane Park and Holland’s Anne van Damm.
The 27-year-old from Comrie, who shot one of only three bogeyfree rounds on the day, said: “Being here at The Scottish Open on an invite and obviously being a past winner, I always want to win again.
“It’s great to have some friends and family around. It doesn’t happen for me at all during the year.
“This is the only event where I have some family, so it’s always nice to come back and play in Scotland.
“I’ve kind of found my rhythm now.”
With poor weather expected today, Booth is prepared and said: “Sometimes I think the harder, the better.
“Not that I want it to rain, but if push comes to shove and that’s what it is, you deal with it. I feel like I’ll deal with it in the way I know.”
England’s Georgia Hall is five shots further back tied in 26th place on five-under after a 71, one shot ahead of Charley Hull, who posted a 68.
Dame Laura Davies, 55, followed up her second-round three-underpar 68 with a round of 71 and is tied in 44th place.