Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul shares third spot with Anne van Dam, the highest-ranked female in the mixed event; Dale Whitnell claims a three-shot victory over Sean Crocker in Sweden
Sunday 11 June 2023 19:01, UK
Dale Whitnell secured his maiden DP World Tour title after overcoming a Sunday charge from Sean Crocker to claim a three-shot victory at the Scandinavian Mixed.
Whitnell held a six-stroke halfway advantage after a brilliant second-round 61 and remained four ahead going into the final day at Ullna Golf and Country Club, where he never left top spot as he closed out an impressive win.
The world No 308 mixed four birdies with two bogeys during a final-round 70 to end the week on 21 under, with Crocker his closest challenger after moving up the leaderboard with a seven-under 65.
Victory moves Whitnell to 17th in the DP World Tour rankings and completes a remarkable journey for the 34-year-old, who took on work as a delivery driver while playing on satellite tours before claiming a win on the Challenge Tour and earning his DP World Tour card in 2019.
"It tested me out there," Whitnell said after his victory. "It's been a long road for me, I've got so many people to thank. It's been a long time coming, I'm ecstatic. It means everything to me, it's what I get up every day for. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I've dreamt of this for a long time."
Whitnell opened with three consecutive pars but found trees and then water on his way to a bogey at the par-five fourth, only to follow a birdie at the next by making another from 35 feet at the par-four sixth.
The Englishman was briefly six ahead until Crocker, who played his opening four holes in four under, rallied after a bogey at the eighth by making back-to-back birdies around the turn to reduce the advantage to four.
Whitnell responded to a missed birdie chance at the 10th by converting from further away at the next to get to 21 under, only to bogey the par-three 13th and squander birdie looks from inside five feet on both the next two holes.
Crocker drained a long-range eagle at the 15th on his way to setting the clubhouse target at 18 under, but Whitnell made a 15-foot birdie at the par-four 17th and two-putted for par at the last to close out an emotional victory.
Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul played alongside Whitnell in the final group but saw his challenge fade with a level-par 72, leaving him tied-third with Anne van Dam - the highest-ranked female in the mixed event where men and women compete on the same venue for one prize fund and one trophy,
Gabriella Cowley claimed a share of fifth place with Paul Waring, Richie Ramsay and Soren Kjeldsen, while Alexander Bjork and Matthew Jordan finished tied-ninth on 13 under.
Sky Sports is once again the home of the US Open this week, with over 45 hours of live coverage from the four tournament days. Coverage begins from 3pm over the first two rounds and 6pm on Saturday, with the action getting under way from 5.30pm on the final day and following the tournament through to its conclusion.
The next regular DP World Tour even is the BMW International Open from June 22-25, with all four rounds live from Munich on Sky Sports Golf.
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