36-hole co-leader Marcus Kinhult (Am) slides to T33 at Nordea Masters
Marcus Kinhult
Weekend Story Update:
Marcus Kinhult succumbed to the pressure down the
stretch and windy conditions on Saturday, finishing
double-bogey-double-birdie (at least the birdie was
on the last) to shoot 77 and move from being co-
leader to T14. His Sunday 75 did nothing to improve
his position, and sent the 36-hole co-leader into a
T33 finish.
OK, so the Swedish teenage sensation, 18, won't win
this one. He's made the cut in the Nordea Masters
two years in a row, and the last time we can think of
an amateur consistently performing like that on the
European Tour it was Italian Matteo Manassero - he's
done pretty well, if four European Tour wins are any
indication.
NOTE: See the bottom of this page for a link to the
current leaderboard.
FROM FRIDAY, JUNE 5
Marcus Kinhult of Sweden is trying to become the
first amateur to win on the European Tour since
2009, when Shane Lowery won the Irish Open.
If his play on the difficult ninth hole today says
anything about the 18-year-old Kinhult's ability to
handle the weekend pressure, things are looking
good. Stading on the tee of the 476-yard par four
(playing into the wind) Kinhult drove into the fairway
bunker. Just when it looked like he might close out
the round (he started on the 10th) with a bogey or
worse, he nailed his fairway bunker shot from 190
yards to 15 feet and calmly rolled in the birdie putt
to the delight of the partisan crowds.
"That was a lot of fun," Kinhult told
European Tour Radio. "I had a great time out
there. It felt great coming in those last few holes
with bigger crowds and I managed to make two big
putts too, so that was a great feeling.
"I saw my name on the leaderboard, it
was hard to avoid, but I tried to just stick to the
game plan and focus on what I could affect and I
managed to do that pretty well so I'm happy with
that.
"I'm here to gain some experience and
that's what it's all about. It's going to be a lot of fun
this weekend and good experience to go out there
tomorrow and try again."
Kinhult stands at the top of the leaderboard
along with fellow Swede Jens Dantorp at 9-under.
World No. 4 Henrik Stenson, who slipped to T34 after
posting even-par 72.
To view current scores, click
here.