Skip to content

Nick Dougherty hails Alex Noren's record-breaking Nedbank victory

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Highlights of Alex Noren's stunning final round as he powered to a six-shot win at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Nick Dougherty reflects on a stunning victory in South Africa for Alex Noren and looks ahead to this week's season-ending shootout at the DP World Tour Championship...

People will have watched the Nedbank Golf Challenge and thought that Noren made victory look easy, but he really did on Sunday when the course is anything but.

He barely put a foot wrong all day and those first 11 holes were about as good as it gets at any level in this game. It really was a mind-blowing round of golf.

"The guys that are still in contention means that it is going to be a cracking quartet of players battling it out in Dubai."
Nick Dougherty

We were talking on Saturday about Jeunghun Wang's 64 and questioning how someone shoots a round like that on that golf course, only for Noren to then go one better on Sunday.

To make such a dramatic change in form after a disappointing third round is a testament to the player Noren has become. He went away, clearly worked on a few things and came out on Sunday and hit the best round we've seen from him.

Alex Noren of Sweden receives the trophy from Gary Player after his victory during day four of the Nedbank Golf Challenge
Image: Victory is Noren's fourth win in 11 appearances

It was another incredible performance from Noren, who has won some really big events in the past few months. He was 108th in the world when he played the US Open in June, but is now up inside the world's top 10.

Whatever he found at Sun City on Sunday he needs to bottle it, stick a cork in the top and keep it on him until Thursday because he has every chance to win again this week.

Also See:

Live European Tour Golf

Best of the rest

Wang may be disappointed with finishing three-over-par on Sunday, but second place is a great week for him and another big step up the ladder. He is going to be some talent on the European Tour in years to come.

Jeunghun Wang during the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge
Image: Jeunghun Wang finished runner-up in South Africa, six strokes behind Noren

For a second it looked like Danny Willett might actually beat Henrik Stenson and psychologically that would have been a big deal for him. Even still, it's a big thing in finding some form over the final two days with rounds of 67 and 69.

Noren now deserves the opportunity to win the Race to Dubai as a four-time winner this year on the European Tour. That's not forgetting the other contenders like Masters Champion Willett - who has already won in Dubai this year - and Stenson, who won so brilliantly at The Open.

A look at the Race to Dubai standings ahead of the DP World Tour Championship
Image: A look at the Race to Dubai standings ahead of the DP World Tour Championship

It's going to be tough for Rory McIlroy to top the standings as he's only just on the cusp of winning the Race to Dubai mathematically, but he still heads to the final event of the year with a chance.

The guys still in contention means that it's going to be a cracking quartet of players battling it out in Dubai.

Live European Tour Golf

Watch the DP World Tour Championship live from November 17-20 on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf

Around Sky