Scandinavian Mixed: Even though Dale Whitnell’s advantage in the Scandinavian Mixed final round had been cut to four strokes, he nevertheless went one step closer to winning his first DP World Tour championship.
The 34-year-old shot a two-under 70 on Saturday at Ullna Golf and Country Club, following up his remarkable second-round 61 with seven birdies, a bogey, and two double-bogeys.
Whitnell had a score of 19 under, four strokes better than Ryder Cup contender Yannik Paul, who shot a second consecutive 68. Richie Ramsay of Scotland is in third place, one stroke behind Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands.
It is difficult to play a round of golf without missing a shot, much less two, three, or four, so Whitnell sort of stuck to his guns, had a game plan and attempted to carry it out. “It wasn’t a great day, but it was more than acceptable,” Whitnell said.
When Paul bogeyed the first, Whitnell’s overnight advantage increased. The Englishman then overcame a bogey of his own at the following par-three hole to birdie three of his subsequent four holes and surge eight ahead.
When Whitnell double-bogeyed the par-four ninth, Paul was six back at the turn and had just eagled the par-five fourth. However, his playing partner began his back nine with a 12-foot birdie at the 10th.
Paul scored back-to-back birdies at the 12th, which put pressure on Whitnell, who tapped in for a birdie at the 15th but double-bogeyed the next par three after hitting water off the tee. Whitnell then made a hole at the penultimate hole from 15 feet to match the German’s birdie and maintain a four-stroke lead.
Classy way to finish the round, @YannikPaul 👌 #VolvoScandinavianMixed pic.twitter.com/mYpNQQLFAJ
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 10, 2023
Whitnell said that Yannik “played superbly” and “hit some good shots under pressure.” “He started off with a nice eagle down the fourth, and then we sort of mixed and matched birdies, but yeah I just kept my head, and it was nice to follow it in up the last.”
Van Dam tied the low score of the day with a nine-under 63 to move up to fourth place, while Ramsay had a three-under 69 and reached 13 under with to three birdies in a five-hole span on his back nine.
Gabriella Cowley and Madelene Sagstrom are tied for fifth place in the group after the third round of 64s, making Van Dam the highest-ranked female in the unusual competition where men and women fight on the same pitch for one prize fund and one trophy.
“I knew I had a lot of catching up to do when I looked this morning and saw only four females and 24 guys ahead of me,” Van Dam remarked. “It was a nice day to play aggressively outside.”
For golf championship, golf live score, golf daily live, live golf, latest golf news, golf tournament, all golf update, live golf update, and other golf news follow Livematchupdates.com.
