World Golfing News

On the European Tour, the Scandinavian Masters was won by local favourite Richard S. Johnson. Braving extremely wet weather conditions at the Bro Hof Slott Golf Club in Stockholm, Sweden, Johnson birdied an impressive thirty foot putt on the final hole to claim victory. The final day of the tournament saw several golfers vie for the trophy, as wet conditions made play unpredictable and extremely challenging. KJ Choi of South Korea and South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen, 2010 British Open champion seemed likely contenders but could not negotiate the difficult and water-logged course. Johnson's main competition later in the day came from Argentina's Rafa Echenique and Edoardo Molinari of Italy, who finished second and third respectively, with scores of 72 and 73 against Johnson's 1 under par 71. Fourth place was shared by Oosthuizen, alongside Brett Rumford of Australia and New Zealand's Mark Brown. Johnson's victory was met with huge applause by the home crowd in Stockholm, who cheered him on as he lifted a difficultly attained trophy.

On the US PGA Tour, Carl Pettersson of Sweden led a charge to victory on the last day of the Candian Open in Ontario. The championship looked sure to be won by Dean Wilson of the United States who led by four strokes, until Pettersson mounted his attack on the 11th hole. Taking advantage of good playing conditions and the deterioration in Dean's game over the back nine, the Swede played an astounding seven holes of golf to card a three under par 67 and win the championship, his fourth victory in North America. Wilson was a stroke behind in second place, while Britain's Luke Donald was third on the leader board.

In women's golf, the Evian Masters was won by South Korea's Jiyai Shin. In a tournament noted for its tough competition, Shin played consistently just weeks after undoing emergency surgery to her appendix. Overcoming her nerves, she held off Morgan Pressel and Alexis Thompson of the USA and compatriot Choi Na Yeon who all tied for second place. Norway's Suzann Pettersen took third place. For Alexis Thompson (15), the second place finish was like a victory in itself. Thompson is still in school and will not be turning pro in the near future, but a second place finish in what was only her third professional event bodes well for the future career of the talented young American.