Title-waiting game over as Marcus Kinhult wins British Masters

Marcus Kinhult celebrates his winning putt on the 18th hole. Picture: Richard Sellers/PA

Kinhult’s chances looked to have gone when he surrendered a one-shot lead with bogeys on the 15th and 16th.

But the 22-year-old birdied the final two holes to finish a shot ahead of defending champion Eddie Pepperell, Matt Wallace and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre.

Pepperell had set the clubhouse target on 15 under after a closing 66 before MacIntyre produced a stunning eagle-birdie finish to join him at the top of the leaderboard.

Marcus Kinhult with the trophy after winning the Betfred British Masters at Hillside. Picture: Richard Sellers/PA

A four-man play-off looked on the cards when Kinhult birdied the 17th and playing partner Wallace missed from four feet.

But after Wallace also missed for birdie on the last, Kinhult holed from 12ft to seal a remarkable win and secure the £500,000 first prize.

“I’m speechless, I don’t know what happened the last two holes,” said Kinhult, who won the prestigious Lytham Trophy as an amateur, but had missed his last four halfway cuts. “I was behind Matt and he looked really solid, but I birdied 17 and all of a sudden I had a putt to win – it’s incredible.

“I have never felt that pressure before. Richie (Ramsay) gave me a good read so I just tried to do the same thing and holed it.

Matt Wallace looking dejected on 18th green at the British Masters. Picture: Richard Sellers/PA

“There’s a lot going through my mind, a lot of emotions and I am just so happy that I managed to handle those pretty well. It’s really special. I have been waiting for this moment for 20 years.”

Pepperell began the day five shots off the lead shared by Kinhult and Wallace, but carded six birdies in a flawless 66, the joint-lowest score of the day, which also included what looked to be a vital up-and-down for par on the 18th.

“It was a good round, very steady really and the whole week I only made two bogeys actually, which for me is remarkable,” Pepperell said. “I kind of set myself a target of 17 under at the turn and was not far off that. But fair play to Marcus.

“He’s been a good player for a while, so it’s good to see.”

MacIntyre recovered from a double-bogey seven on the second to storm home in 31, the 22-year-old left-hander hitting a five-wood to three feet on the 17th and a six-iron from 203 yards to a similar distance on the last.

“To finish that way was fantastic. I had to go for it in the end,” said MacIntyre after his best finish on the European Tour. “It was all or nothing. We were between clubs at 17, but that wind suited us. That’s the best shot I’ve hit in a long time.

“I had been there or thereabouts, but never managed to get in the thick of it and I was disappointed about that. [Yesterday] couldn’t have been a better day to change that, playing with Tommy (Fleetwood) and in front of those big crowds. It was brilliant.”

Tournament host Fleetwood had an eagle putt on the 11th to get within a shot of the lead, but left it short and dropped three shots in the last seven holes to finish in a tie for eighth.

“My own performance wasn’t good particularly, from start to finish I didn’t hit it great,” said the Southport-born 28-year-old. “Things maybe caught up with me in the end.

“But I couldn’t have asked for more from the event. First event I ever had a part in hosting and brought it to Southport and you never know how it’s going to go. It’s been amazing.”

Sir Nick Faldo believes expectations surrounding Tiger Woods should be taken down “a notch or two” ahead of the US PGA Championship.

Woods won his 15th major title, and a first for 11 years, in last month’s Masters, reviving his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major victories and seeing him installed as the favourite at Bethpage, where he led from start to finish in the 2002 US Open.

However, Faldo feels the hype should be kept in check due to lingering questions over Woods’s health after four back operations and the difference in conditions between the feared Black Course at Bethpage and Augusta National.

“I think our expectations have to come down a notch or two anyway because of the weather, the temperature change for me is important, and how he will cope with getting out of the rough,” said Faldo.

“For me that is going to be his major battle. If he hits it in the rough at Bethpage Black he will not be able to scramble like he did at Augusta National.”