Mikko Korhonen storms to Shot Clock Masters victory

Finland’s Mikko Korhonen completed a final round of 69 at Diamond Country Club in Austria to cruise to a six-shot victory over Scotland’s Connor Syme in the Shot Clock Masters.

Mikko Korhonen storms to Shot Clock Masters victory

Mikko Korhonen came through two weather delays at the Diamond Country Club to claim a maiden European Tour victory in the Shot Clock Masters. The Finn ended the week on 16-under-par, six clear of nearest challenger Connor Syme of Scotland.

Korhonen began the final round five clear of the pack but his advantage was reduced to three in the early stages at the Diamond Country Club by some fine play by veteran Raphael Jacquelin. Two weather delays added to the pressure but Korhonen kept his cool. He closed out the win to claim his first Tour title on his 146th start.

It was also an important week for Connor Syme. The young Scot had made just three of 12 cuts on his rookie season on the European Tour. He holed a long putt on the final green to claim second place on his own and greatly bolster his chances of retaining his playing rights for next year.

England’s Steve Webster bounced back from a disappointing third round of 76 with a 67 in round four to climb back up the board and end the week in a tie for third. It was his best finish since last year's Made in Denmark tournament.

Also tying for third were Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin, Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium and South Africa’s Justin Walters.

Through the course of the tournament there were just four penalty shots handed out for bad times – two in round three and then two in round four. None had a significant effect on the outcome of the tournament.

What was significant was that average round time was greatly reduced by the shot clock. Around half an hour on average was knocked off each game during the tournament. The players enjoyed the format and the innovative event could only be looked upon as a great success.

Shot Clock Masters Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, Austria June 7-10 Purse: €1,000,000 Par: 72

1 Mikko Korhonen (Fin) 68 67 68 69 272 2 Connor Syme (Sco) 68 72 69 69 278 T3 Steve Webster (Eng) 69 67 76 67 279 T3 Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 70 69 73 67 279 T3 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 71 69 70 69 279 T3 Justin Walters (RSA) 68 68 72 71 279 T7 Scott Fernandez (Esp) 73 73 69 65 280 T7 Oliver Farr (Wal) 69 72 72 67 280 T7 Peter Hanson (Swe) 67 73 69 71 280 T7 Ashley Chesters (Eng) 71 72 69 68 280 T7 David Horsey (Eng) 70 71 68 71 280

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage