August 8, 2016
England's Anthony Wall beat Alex Noren of Sweden to win his second European Tour title at the Paul Lawrie Match Play at Archerfield in Scotland on Sunday.
Wall overcame a sluggish start and eventually secured a one-up win over favourite Noren, who missed out on a double following his victory in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart last month.
The Swede had quickly gone two up but Wall came back to level the contest at the long sixth.
Wall then made birdie at the long 11th to go one up and he maintained his lead to win on the last when Noren missed a birdie effort from 15 feet that would have forced extra holes.
The 41-year-old's only previous Tour title had come back in 2000 and the 431 events that have passed since then make his wait between titles the longest ever on the European Tour.
"It's funny –- the other one in 2000 felt like yesterday! It's amazing because it's such a hard job to beat everyone because everyone is so good," Wall, seven times a runner-up between victories, told europeantour.com.
"I did wonder whether it would ever come again. I'm just so pleased for my parents - they put in so much when I was young. I've got two children that just want to see their dad win, I'm speechless, it's phenomenal."
England's James Morrison won the third-place play-off 4 and 2 against compatriot Oliver Fisher after starting with a run of birdie, eagle, birdie to establish a lead he refused to relinquish.
August 7, 2016
Swede Alex Noren notched up two impressive victories on Saturday to set up a final against Anthony Wall in the Paul Lawrie Matchplay event in East Lothian on Saturday.
Surprise defeats for European Ryder Cup hopefuls Matthew Fitzpatrick and Chris Wood on Friday left Noren as the highest-ranked player in the tournament.
The 34-year-old took advantage by beating compatriot Johan Carlsson 4&2 on Saturday morning, before seeing off James Morrison in an entertaining clash 3&2 in the semi-finals.
"It feels amazing. I've never even been close in a match play event before, and it's pretty hard mentally these matches, but I like it," he told the European Tour website.
Noren, the world number 50, won the Scottish Open last month and will be a firm favourite to make it a double in the country on Sunday when he takes on England's Wall, who is 234th in the rankings.
"Probably (my) best consistency," Noren, a five-time European Tour winner, added about his season so far.
"I think this year has been quite consistent. Maybe not super golf all the time, but pretty consistent."
Wall, 41, came through two tight matches against Haydn Porteous and Oliver Fisher.
He edged past South African Porteous on the 18th hole, and then came through a marathon encounter with Fisher after four extra holes.
"Obviously sorry for Oli, because it was a good game and someone had to lose," Wall said.
"It's a shame, because we're good pals and we played well. It was a good game."
Journeyman Wall has played 431 European Tour events since claiming the only title of his career in South Africa 16 years ago.
As well as the final, Fisher and Morrison will contest a third-place play-off on Sunday.
August 6, 2016
European Ryder Cup hopefuls Matthew Fitzpatrick and Chris Wood both bowed out of the Paul Lawrie Matchplay event in North Berwick, Scotland on Friday.
English top seed Wood went into the week inside the automatic places for Darren Clarke's team for the matches at Hazeltine in September, but suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to compatriot and world number 444 Daniel Brooks in the second round early on Friday.
World number 46 Fitzpatrick looked in fine fettle as he brushed aside Matt Ford with five holes to play without carding a single bogey to reach round three.
But the 21-year-old, who is hanging onto the last automatic Ryder Cup spot, was dealt a heavy 4-3 loss in the last 16 by Spaniard Alejandro Canizares.
Scottish Open champion Alex Noren beat Nacho Elvira in a tight match on the 17th hole to reach the quarters and keep alive his hopes of a second title in the country in less than a month.
"I love these kind of courses and links golf," the world number 50 told the European Tour website.
"I thought we haven't played match play in so long, so I was looking forward to that as well.
"Match play is tough. I've played three good matches and I just need a lot of rest now because I can feel it in my head, it's been a long day."
Tournament host Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, was edged out by Australian Richard Green on the 19th hole in the second round.
Noren is the highest-ranked player left in the draw, and he will take on fellow Swede Johan Carlsson in the last eight on Saturday.
Other quarter-final ties will see Canizares play England's James Morrison, South African Haydn Porteous up against Anthony Wall and German youngster Maximilian Kieffer face Oliver Fisher.
August 5, 2016
English duo Chris Wood and Matthew Fitzpatrick boosted their Ryder Cup hopes with wins in the opening round of the Paul Lawrie Match Play in Scotland on Thursday.
Top seed Wood claimed a 4&3 win over Australia's Brett Rumford to set up a second-round meeting on Friday with fellow countryman Daniel Brooks at the Archerfield Links near Gullane on Scotland's east coast.
The winner of that match will face 36 holes on Friday as the round of 16 was brought forward in anticipation of high winds on Sunday.
Wood is looking for a victory this week to cement his place on the European Ryder Cup team for Hazeltine before he goes off to get married later this month.
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick beat Ryder Cup vice-captain Thomas Bjorn 4&3 to set up a second-round tie against Matt Ford.
Battling to make it onto Darren Clarke's team for the September 30-October 2 event, Fitzpatrick was six up after nine holes against Bjorn and held off a fightback to beat the veteran Dane.
"I played really nicely and made quite a few birdies on the front nine. It was good to get off to that fast start and sort of just hold it together on the back nine," Fitzpatrick told europeantour.com.
"I think it was a good day and I'm just delighted to get the win in the first round."
Recent Scottish Open winner Alex Noren of Sweden and tournament host Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, were among the other winners from the 32 ties played on the opening day.
