Niall Kearney has discovered how to get into the mix, as he again demonstrated in the BMW International Open in Munich. While Viktor Hovland ultimately powered his way to a historic first win by a Norwegian on the PGA European Tour, the 33-year-old Dubliner - making the most of limited opportunities - claimed a tied-12th finish that moved him ever upwards to the goal of securing a full tour card for 2022.
Kearney - a Walker Cup player back in 2009 when Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood were among his adversaries and team-mates - has overcome a number of injuries and battled away on the mini-tours and on the Challenge Tour in his aim to become a European Tour regular and has made the most of his outings on the main circuit this season with his latest payday of €23,394 moving him up 15 places to 118th in the updated Race to Dubai standings.
The Raheny man will aim to further improve those standings when he tees up in this week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Mount Juliet, where he has been given a sponsor’s exemption.
In contrast, Hovland’s trajectory has been fast-tracked. The Norwegian struggled at times in his final round but ultimately got the job done with a closing 70 for a 19-under-par total of 271 giving him a two strokes winning margin over local hero Martin Kaymer.
Kaymer, ordained as a Ryder Cups vice-captain by Pádraig Harrington ahead of the tournament, sensationally finished with a 64 for 271. Hovland, though, finally got his putter working to close out with a 70 for a winning total of 269 that gave the 23-year-old a winner’s cheque for €229,650 which lifted him into the top-10 of the Race to Dubai standings and further strengthened his Ryder Cup ambitions.
“I grew up watching mostly the European Tour. There’s a lot of guys who played this week who I grew up watching. It’s cool to be a champion of this tour, in Germany, in a place. . . . it’s not in Norway, but it is close and has some of the same feeling of being home. Finally, Norway has a European Tour winner!” said Hovland.
On the PGA Tour, Séamus Power - who had secured his place in the field through Monday qualifying - finished with a final round 69 for a seven-under-par total of 273 and a top-25 finish that edged him towards the top 160 in the FedEx Cup rankings as he attempts to regain his full PGA Tour card.
Power had opted not to seek an invite into this week’s DDF Irish Open in order to concentrate playing stateside so that he can try to secure full playing rights for next season.
Leona Maguire finished the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Atlanta Country Club with a closing 71 for a total of four-under-par 284 which gave the Co Cavan golfer a top-20 finish in the season’s third Major and consolidated her position inside the top-15 on the LPGA Tour order of merit.
Maguire - who had finished ninth and second in the previous two weeks - has a week off this week before resuming tournament play in Marathon Classic in Ohio and the following week’s Dow Invitational before globetrotting for a run that includes the Evian Championship in France, the Olympics in Japan and then the Scottish and British Opens.
