skip to main content

Down golfer Caldwell wins Scandinavian Mix title

Jonathan Caldwell has won his maiden European Tour title
Jonathan Caldwell has won his maiden European Tour title

Northern Ireland's Jonathan Caldwell has won his first European Tour title after shooting a 64 in the final round of the Scandinavian Mix.

The Down man made an eagle, two birdies and two bogeys in his final six holes.

Spain's Adrian Otaegui three-putted on 18 after missing a putt to win the tournmanent.

Caldwell, who turned 37 on the day of the first round, takes over €166,000 in prize money, and two-year exemption on the Tour.

England's Alice Hewson needed to eagle the last to force a play-off but had to settle for a par and a closing 69 to finish third in the first event on the European Tour to feature men and women competing on the same course for one prize fund and one trophy.

Caldwell, who partnered Rory McIlroy in the 2007 Walker Cup, began the day three shots off the lead but covered his first 11 holes in six under par and then holed from 40 feet for an eagle on the 14th to move two shots clear.

That lead was short-lived thanks to a combination of his bogey on the 15th and Jason Scrivener making a birdie on the 10th, but a birdie on the 16th took Caldwell back in front.

A bogey on the 17th looked set to prove costly but Caldwell bounced back brilliantly with a superb approach to the last.

The resulting tap-in birdie set the clubhouse target on 17 under par and although Otaegui swiftly got to that mark with a two-putt birdie on the par-five 16th, his bogey on the last handed Caldwell the title.

"It's been a dream of mine for an awful long time," Caldwell told Sky Sports. "A lot of hard work goes into it. It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but hopefully more to come.

"In 2009 I played my first year, lost my card, played mini tours and Challenge Tour over the years, worked as well in a local golf store. It's been a long road but finally I'm here."

Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly said the victory showed the value in the Team Ireland Golf Programme.

"Watching Jonathan win this afternoon, shows the value of what we are trying to do. Funding went up by €50,000 for 16 of our best male and female professional golfers in 2021, and seeing Jonathan's impressive final round shows the quality of players we have in the country.

"I want to congratulate Jonathan on behalf of Golf Ireland. Having represented his country with such distinction as an amateur, it's fantastic that he carried the Team Ireland logo on his arm as he earned his first European Tour win."

Read Next