ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR
HATTON CLAIMS FOURTH ROLEX SERIES TITLE
yrrell Hatton became just the second player to claim four Rolex Series titles after a flawless performance in the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship helped him overturn the overnight lead of his playing partner Rory McIlroy and clinch a four-stroke victory .
The Englishman has now won two of the last three Rolex Series events , having lifted the BMW PGA Championship title last October , and his latest victory is timely with the European Points List restarting this week in the race to qualify for Padraig Harrington ’ s European Ryder Cup side .
Hatton ’ s was another nerveless final round display as the 29-year-old cruised to three birdies on the front nine , while McIlroy dropped shots at the par three fourth and par five eighth holes , to lose any momentum created by the early birdies at the second and third .
Victory rarely looked in doubt for Hatton as he played assured and calculated golf down the stretch , three birdies on the way home wrapping up a flawless six under final round 66 , an 18 under total and a sixth European Tour win . He now joins Jon Rahm as the only other player to lift four Rolex Series titles , and becomes the first Race to Dubai leader of the 2021 campaign .
ROYAL ABERDEEN TO HOST SCOTTISH SENIOR OPEN
oyal Aberdeen Golf Club will provide the setting for the 2021 Scottish Senior Open hosted by Paul Lawrie , when the Legends Tour returns to the venue for the first time in 26 years from September 10-12 , 2021 .
The 2021 Scottish Senior Open marks professional golf ’ s return to Balgownie Links – one of two courses at Royal Aberdeen - after it hosted the first three editions of the Scottish Senior Open from 1993-1995 , The 2005 Senior Open , the 2011 Walker Cup and the 2014 Scottish Open .
Aberdeen native and 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie , who is an Honorary Member of Royal Aberdeen , takes on hosting duties as well as returning to the event as defending champion , after winning his first Legends Tour title in the 2019 edition at Craigielaw Golf Club .
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club has a rich and storied history having been initially founded in 1780 , making it the sixth-oldest golf club in the world , before receiving royal patronage in 1903 . It was originally designed by the Simpson brothers , Archie and Robert of Carnoustie , and re-bunkered and lengthened by James Braid .
U . S . OPEN EXEMPTIONS AVAILABLE IN 2021
or the second successive season , ten spots in the U . S . Open Championship will be available to participants in a mini series of European Tour events .
The USGA has confirmed that the top ten aggregate point earners ( not otherwise exempt ) across the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett ( May 12-15 ), Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA ( May 27-30 ) and the Porsche European Open ( June 3-6 ) will earn places in the U . S . Open Championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course ( South Course ) on June 17-20 , 2021 .
The traditional U . S . Open final qualifying event in Europe will not take place once again this season due to the continuing impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic . Local qualifying will take place at 109 sites in the United States and Canada from April 26 – May 18 .
The first opportunity for players to earn points towards a U . S . Open spot via the European Tour will come at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield , England , when Major winner Danny Willett takes on hosting duties at the Betfred British Masters . Two weeks later , following the US PGA Championship , the action switches to Denmark for Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA , before the final qualifying event , the Porsche European Open , at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg , Germany .
EUROPEAN ETOUR ANNOUNCES 2021 SCHEDULE
he 2021 European eTour schedule will feature five regular season events and a Global Finals as the popular golf esports series returns for a second year . Three further events will coincide with European Tour tournaments from May to September before the final regular season event , the Nedbank Golf Challenge , starts in October . The season comes to a close with the second edition of the Global Finals in December . American Payton Gordley , known by his in-game name golfx3 , will be the player to beat in 2021 having won five regular season events last year and claiming the US $ 30,000 grand prize in January ’ s Global Final , as thousands tuned in to the livestream on the European Tour ’ s YouTube channel .
Image Courtesy : GettyImages
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