Sunday 13 November 2016 18:02, UK
Alex Noren described his superb final-day 63 as the best round of his career after he stormed to a remarkable six-shot victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
The Swede was already enjoying the most profitable season of his life, having collected three victories in 10 starts, and he made it four in 11 on his debut at the Gary Player Country Club after turning a six-stroke overnight deficit into a handsome win on the final day.
Noren was particularly hot on the greens, opening with a 30-foot putt for birdie and picking up five more shots in an outward 30, and he kept his momentum flowing by holing another long-range effort for eagle at the 10th.
The 34-year-old suddenly found himself three clear at the top when he pitched in for another birdie from over the green at the next and, despite a bogey at 14 ending his hopes of a 59, he got the shot back at 16 and parred safely in as 54-hole leader Jeunghun Wang faded down the stretch.
Noren's eighth career title lifts him into the world's top 10 for the first time, a remarkable rise from his ranking of 108th barely four months ago, while he also has an outside chance of overhauling Henrik Stenson at the top of the Race to Dubai standings at next week's season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
"It's unbelievable," said the Swede, who claimed his third win of the year at last month's British Masters supported by Sky Sports. "Yesterday was a bit tough and my game wasn't really there. But I tried to get the right feelings for today and it clicked. I don't think I've ever played as good, especially on the greens.
"You get a bit more relaxed as a player and you might be able to hole a putt and it was one of those rounds. This was the round of my life.
"I think me and my caddie worked a lot on trying to go for the right places on the green, because there are so many tricky pins here. They tuck those pins away up in the corners of the greens and it's easy to make bogeys.
"All I was trying to do was hit the right shots at the right pieces of the green and putt uphill, and then not make too many bogeys because around here, I think you've got a few birdie chances.
"Coming off the unbelievable start, on the 10th green I saw that I was leading and Jeunghun (Wang) dropped a few shots. All of a sudden, I was actually in front and not chasing, and that made it a little different. But I stuck in there in it feels amazing."
Noren played the final round alongside Stenson, who extended his Race to Dubai lead over Danny Willett to just under 300,000 points as he closed with a battling 70 to finish in eighth place on six under.
Stenson paid tribute to his fellow Swede afterwards, saying: "Alex rolled in a big slinger at the first and got a good notch on the second, almost made eagle, and he kept on playing solid and making those putts. It felt like he was on fire, no one was really able to touch him.
"Well done to him, all the credit and he's definitely in there in the mix for the last week. With Alex playing as well as he does, it just motivates me even more to bring my game to Dubai next week and then try and be up there."
