Alex Noren to take on Anthony Wall in Paul Lawrie Match Play final
Thursday 11 August 2016 18:39, UK
Alex Noren remained on course to complete a notable Scottish double as he cruised into the final of the Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Match Play at Archerfield Links.
The second seed, who lifted his fifth European Tour title at last month's Scottish Open, claimed comfortable victories over Johan Carlsson and James Morrison and now faces Anthony Wall in Sunday's final after the veteran Englishman edged past Oliver Fisher at the fourth extra hole of a tense semi-final.
Noren raced out of the block against Morrison with birdies at the opening three holes and, after the long sixth was halved in fours, another birdie from the in-form Swede at the seventh swept him into a four-up lead.
Morrison fought back with birdies at the ninth and 10th to halve the deficit, but he could not match Noren's sixth birdie of the round at the 11th before the Englishman responded again at the next.
Noren restored his three-hole lead with yet another birdie at the short 13th, and the next two were halved in par before both players hit excellent approaches to the 16th and Noren followed Morrison in from three feet to seal victory.
The all-English encounter between Fisher and Wall was a much tighter affair, with the first six holes being halved before Wall rolled in a good putt for a three at the seventh to go one up.
Fisher holed from 20 feet to level at the eighth, but a poor drive at nine led to a double-bogey six and the pair traded birdies at the 11th while the next four were halved in pars.
Wall matched Fisher's birdie at the 16th to stay one up, but he missed the green at the par-three 17th and could not get up and down before Fisher gained the upper hand when he crushed a stunning three-wood to 25 feet at 18.
But Wall wedged to eight feet and rolled in the birdie putt, and Fisher ensured extra holes with a calm six-footer after leaving his first putt woefully short.
Wall left a putt for the win short on the second extra hole, and Fisher did likewise at the next before leaving a birdie putt in the jaws on the 22nd, and Wall's eight-footer just had enough pace to drop to book his place in the final.
In the morning quarter-finals, Noren was always in control of his clash with Carlsson after reeling off three consecutive birdies from the third before a superb eagle at the sixth took him into a commanding four-hole lead.
Carlsson managed to reduce the deficit to three on three occasions, but Noren's birdies at 10 and 13 maintained his healthy lead before he wrapped up a convincing win on the 16th green.
Morrison advanced after being one down at the turn against Alejandro Canizares before playing a storming back nine, rolling in five birdies in seven holes, to romp to a 4&2 win over the Spaniard.
Wall produced a grandstand finish to his tense battle with Haydn Porteous as he chipped in for eagle - his second of the back nine - to win on the final hole, while Fisher overcame a mid-round stutter against Max Kieffer to clinch a 3&2 victory.
Live coverage of the final and third-place play-off will start on Sunday at 11am on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.
