Soren Kjeldsen Wins the 2015 Irish Open

Well we've seen everything Royal County Down had to offer this week, both the good and the bad. Despite its toughness, a victor has emerged in the form of Danish golfer Soren Kjeldsen after a playoff between Bernd Wiesberger and Eddie Pepperell. This is Soren's 4th European Tour victory and his first in six years. The win also allows him to play this year's Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Looking at the leaderboard going into the weekend, you couldn't help but get the feeling that the scoreline wasn't going to change much and that a playoff would probably decide the winner. And that's exactly what happened. After 72 holes of golf, the leading score had increased from the halfway point up to 2-under par, something which we rarely see in a golf tournament. A playoff then ensued between Bernd, Eddie, and Soren.

Sunday was probably the toughest day all week with 25-30 mph winds all day. All three played very well to get to the playoff with Soren shooting a 76 but fighting Royal County Down every shot along the way, Bernd shot a 73 in a up and down round, and Eddie stunned many with a 69, which was one of a handful of sub par rounds and bogey-free rounds today.

The single hole playoff took place on the par 5 18th hole. Both Soren and Bernd found the fairway with their tee shots while Eddie hit his into the right rough. Soren then found the green with his second shot and had a putt for eagle. He missed the eagle putt and was left with a tricky 3 footer for birdie (and ultimately the win as Eddie and Bernd both parred after some incidents). Soren nearly missed the putt as the ball did a 360 degree turn around the hole before dropping in; Royal County Down had one more trick to pull before tournament's end. Soren has always been a golfer that I've liked over the years so it's great to see him win again.

The average score in today's final round was probably a few shots over par, due to the high winds. On that note, here's how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Lee Westwood: T53 at 12-over
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T43 at 10-over
3) Tommy Fleetwood: T21 at 5-over

1) Graeme McDowell: T30 at 7-over


Not too bad in the end. Ironically, Miguel (who's friends with Soren) was one of the first people to congratulate Soren on his win after he walked off the tee. Tommy Fleetwood had another good finish and GMac too.

And that's all for our coverage this week. Next week, our coverage heads across the pond to the Jack Nicklaus hosted Memorial tournament. Stay tuned for our picks for that.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Soren Kjeldsen Wins the 2015 Irish Open

WATCH: Soren Kjeldsen's winning putt