‘Winner’ Wall won’t worry about lifting second title
JOURNEYMAN Anthony Wall is looking to bridge a 16-year gap today when he takes on recently crowned Scottish Open champion Alex Noren in the final of the Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Match Play at Archerfield Links.
The 41-year-old Londoner’s sole European Tour victory came at the 2000 Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
But don’t feel sorry for Wall, for he has amassed in excess of £7million in career earnings — more even than the late, great Seve Ballesteros.
Wall was also at pains yesterday to stress that he is also a big winner in life after ending his semi-final marathon against compatriot Oliver Fisher with an eight-foot birdie putt at the 22nd hole.
‘It doesn’t cross my mind that it was 16 years ago because I’ve had many wins in my life,’ he said. ‘I’ve got two children and my beautiful wife, Sharon.
‘Obviously Alex is the man in form, but I’m looking forward to it. It will be a great game, though. I hope I don’t feel as stiff tomorrow as I was this morning.’
Noren maintained his remarkable run of consistency to defeat another Englishman, James Morrison 3&2 in the other semi-final of the £840,000 tournament.
But even if he wins a second title at the Home of Golf this weekend, Noren is adamant that he will not alter his schedule to accommodate the Ryder Cup.
Noren threw up the intriguing possibility that he could contend for an automatic place in Darren Clarke’s team for Hazeltine next month by winning at Castle Stuart Links a month ago.
Although he currently sits 20th in the European points list and 22nd on the world list, it is not inconceivable that he would sneak in or even make a case for a wildcard pick if he also won either the Czech Masters or the Made in Denmark.
But he insisted: ‘I’m going to have a break; one week’s holiday and two weeks of training and I am looking forward to the rest. I don’t think that would change.
‘I could play and still not get in and I need these weeks to really work on things that I think are going to be necessary for the tough stretch of tournaments coming up. There are eight to 10 tournaments left.
‘I haven’t really been thinking about the Ryder Cup, to be honest. I was so far out of it coming into the Scottish Open and we had two majors right after that.’
After mediocre performances at The Open and the US PGA, where he finished tied 46th and tied 49th, respectively, Noren has been a model of consistency over the past three days, to the extent that he has carded 34 birdies and one eagle in 78 holes in East Lothian.
He claimed his semi-final spot by dint of an emphatic 4&2 win over fellow Swede Johan Carlsson after going four up after six holes.
He was, in fact, seven under par at that point, having followed five consecutive birdies with an eagle.
‘I have probably never played better consistently,’ he said.
‘I thought if I got a couple of wins this week, then that would be great and now here I am with five and it feels fantastic.
‘I have never even been close in a match-play event before.’
Noren, currently 14th in the Race to Dubai and 50th in the world rankings, stressed that the tendonitis he suffered in both wrists in 2014 that effectively wiped out his season is no longer an issue.
And with winds of up to 45mph forecast today, he cannot afford any physical imperfections after worried Tour officials brought the start of the final forward to 11.05am.