‘Ryder Cup visit inspired me’ says Bjerregaard after brilliant win at St Andrews

ST ANDREWS, October 7, 2018 – The St Andrews galleries came expecting to see Tyrrell Hatton make history by winning his third consecutive Alfred Dunhill Links title, but Lucas Bjerregaard blew him off course.

After a shotgun start at 8.30am due to high winds, it was the 27-year-old Dane who came from four shots behind to win by one from Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood, and send the Old Course golf fans home saluting a great performance.

Bjerregaard was ten-under par at the start of the round but posted an excellent 67 in difficult conditions to claim his second European Tour victory.

The Dane’s superb round eclipsed the challenge of Hatton, who held a five-shot lead at one point before dropping four shots on the back nine and finishing with a level-par round of 72.

Hatton’s fellow Ryder Cup hero Fleetwood’s final-round of 69 was enough to tie second with Hatton on 14-under-par, but no more.

Bjerregaard said: “It was a great day. Obviously one of the best rounds I've played all year. It didn't really look like I had much of a chance. It looked like Tyrrell was going to run away with it. But I just kept going about my business.

“I knew the back nine was going to play tough, so I thought if I could throw in a few birdies there, I would still have a chance. I didn't rush it and they just slowly came. The one on the 16th was really nice.”

Bjerregaard revealed that he received inspiration from the European Ryder Cup win after being invited to Paris by fellow Dane, Thomas Bjorn, the team captain.

“I had never been to the Ryder Cup before, but Thomas was kind enough to invite me. He showed me around. I saw the team room and the locker room and I would lie if I said I wasn't inspired going home from there.”

Bjerregaard becomes only the second Dane to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship following Thorbjørn Olesen’s victory in 2015.

The pair also share the same coach, Scotsman Hugh Marr, while Bjerregaard's caddy is Jonathan Smart, who used to carry Danny Willett's bag and won the Team Championship with Willett in 2016. The Dane's first European Tour win was the Portugal Masters in 2017.

Tyrrell Hatton, winner in 2016 and 2017, said: “The momentum completely went after the tee shot on the 10th. I guess my putt on the last to get in the play-off sums it up, really. Just a massive gust of wind just knocks me off. I'm pretty disappointed because I had a five-shot lead at one point. It was in my hands.”

Australia’s Marcus Fraser started the day one behind Hatton but finished with a 77 to slip down the leaderboard. Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher was also in contention but his round of 75 left him eight-under par, seven adrift of Bjerregaard.