Denmark won the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf for the first time as Søren Kjeldsen and Thorbjørn Olesen claimed a thrilling four-shot victory at Kingston Heath Golf Club.
The Danes had been a dominant force all week, with a stunning round of 60 in the fourballs on Friday helping them carry a four-shot lead into a final day where they played the same format.
They did not have it all their own way, however, and the lead was cut to one shot on the back nine as the United States and China both kept applying pressure, whilst France and Sweden made late surges.
But a run of five birdies in six holes from the tenth reasserted the Danes’ dominance, and Kjeldsen and Olesen ultimately ran out comfortable victors after finishing on 20 under par courtesy of a closing round of 66.
“To win this beautiful trophy is amazing, and I think what’s so special about it is that we don’t get to lift a trophy with another player very often,” said Kjeldsen.
“So to experience that team feeling makes it even more special than an individual event. We have both had good years and we sort finish them off like this, so obviously that builds the confidence hugely and is an incredible end to the season.”
A trophy fit for two Danes 🏆🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/13JQNmLSET
— World Cup of Golf (@WorldCupGolf) November 27, 2016
The French pair of Victor Dubuisson and Romian Langasque shared second place alongside China – represented by Wu Ashun and Li Haotong – and the United States duo of Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker.
Alex Noren and David Lingmerth combined for a brilliant closing 62 to finish shots five back for Sweden.
The win completes excellent seasons for Kjeldsen and Olesen, with both finishing in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex and the latter extending his streak of winning seasons on the European Tour to three with victory at the Turkish Airlines Open.
Denmark’s previous best finish at the World Cup of Golf had been in 2001, when Thomas Bjørn and Soren Hansen finished in a tie for second after losing in a play-off, and for Kjeldsen it was a first victory in his sixth outing, while Olesen was making his third appearance.
“I had the feeling every time on the green that I really wanted to hole the putt, not just for me but for my partner too,” said Olesen.
“Then all of a sudden on the back nine, they just started rolling in. It was not just for me, it was for Soren and me and our caddies and our country. That’s very special. When you hole a putt and you can fist pump with your partner and your caddies, it makes it a lot more fun. It was a real four man team this week. I thought both of our caddies did a tremendous job this week keeping us calm, and allowing us to play our game.”
