Scotland’s Marc Warren ended a seven year winning drought after a final round of 68 completed a brilliant weekend in difficult conditions to claim the inaugural Made in Denmark by two shots from Bradley Dredge.
The 33-year-old from Rutherglen, North Lanarkshire, whose last victory came seven years ago on home soil at Gleneagles, entered the final round in a tie for the lead alongside Dredge, following a supreme performance on Saturday.
Inclement weather had been a frequent factor throughout the tournament, but none more so than on Saturday when 30mph hour gusts buffeted the Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort. Despite that, Warren’s ability shone through as he shoot a third round of 66 to move right into the thrust of contention.
On Sunday, Warren did not relent. The Scot, who finished T-15th in last week’s PGA Championship in Kentucky, shook off any potential fatigue by birdieing the third, fourth and eighth to pull clear of Dredge, who had dropped shots on the first, fourth and sixth.
However, the Welshman fought back brilliantly. The two-time European Tour winner, who came into the week ranked a lowly 182nd on the Race to Dubai, moved to within two shots of Warren following birdied on the 11th, 14th and 15th. With some testing holes to come, the impressive crowds of more than 20,000 were excited by the potential of an intriguing finish.
But a dropped shot on the 16th would essentially end Dredge’s chances, providing Warren with a two shot lead on the 18th. The 2006 Scandinavian Masters champion has lost leads late in final rounds in recent years, but this would not be one of those cases.
In-front of the assembled locals, a closing bogey from Warren would secure his third European Tour triumph.
Home favourite Thomas Bjorn, who is now looking ahead to a return to the Ryder Cup, would have impressed captain Paul McGinley by producing a tie for fourth finish in Aalborg. The 43-year-old, who has recently begun sporting a beard of epic proportions, even took a ‘selfie’ with his playing partners’ in-front of the huge crowds behind the 16th green.
The Dane finished a shot behind Philip Archer, who finished in sole-possession of third, while Oliver Fisher and Eddie Pepperell shared fourth with the 15-time Tour winner, who enjoyed a massive following all week.
But for Marc Warren, it was pure delight: “It feels incredible,” he said. “I felt the last couple of years I’ve been close to winning a couple of times but for whatever reason it hasn’t quite happened for me, whether I’ve made mistakes or someone else has played really well.
“This summer I feel more confident than I’ve ever done. Today I kept telling myself I was swinging the club really well and I was confident in what I was doing.”
The European Tour returned to Denmark for the first time in more than a decade, with crowds of more than 80,000 ensuring that this inaugural event was a massive success. Warren was certainly impressed by the atmosphere created by the local fans.
“This is a fantastic event for the European Tour,” Warren added. “There’s been rumours of an event in Denmark for a few years and now we are here and it is on; it has been incredible.
“The crowds have been amazing. To play in front of that has been amazing. Coming from the PGA last week, it definitely had that same feel to it. Coming down those last four holes, the crowds were so big.”
What next for Marc Warren? A potential breakthrough into the world’s top 50 is now a real possibility by the end of the year, and this triumph will have surely caught the eye of Paul McGinley. Two weeks remain to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team, but another victory in that time would surely include him into the conversation for a wildcard pick.
However, no matter what happens during the next few weeks, Marc Warren’s career has entered a flourishing new chapter.