Lindberg lifts Turkish title and secures first Major Championship – Golf News
Mikael Lindberg earned his first DP World Tour title – and qualified for the PGA Championship – by winning twice at the Turkish Airlines Open.
The Swede, making his 70th start on the DP World Tour, held off partner Daniel Rodrigues with a final round 69, to add to earlier rounds of 66, 73 and 70, to finish ten under at the National Golf Club in Belek.
The 33-year-old’s victory moved him to the top of the Asian Swing rankings and subsequently earned his first Major Championship appearance at the PGA Championship in two weeks. He will be joined at Aronimink Golf Club by Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and American Jordan Gumberg who finished second and third in the rankings respectively.
Lindberg and Rodrigues both started with birdies on the first hole, although the Swede shot again on the third. He responded with three birdies on the next four holes to move one ahead of Rodrigues, who had also birdied the fourth.
Both players birdied the ninth before Lindberg extended his lead to two with a birdie at the 13th – and for a while it was three and one in the next, until Rodriguez responded in kind.
The clubhouse goal was now 7 down, initially by Jacob Skov Olesen before he was joined by Darius van Driel and Ewen Ferguson. With three sitting back of four from the leaders, there was a battle between Lindberg, Rodriguez and Guido Migliozzi, the Italian eight under and three behind Lindberg with three to play.
The leader held his own on the 15th, allowing Rodrigues to reduce the deficit while Migliozzi made a good ups and downs on the 16th. Rodriguez couldn’t get up from the bunker on the 16th, leaving Lindberg two shots ahead again.
Migliozzi couldn’t get a birdie over the last two holes, the Italian improved the clubhouse’s narrowly guided to eight under but was clearly frustrated not to increase the pressure on Lindberg.
Rodrigues’ long birdie putt eventually slipped to the right of the hole, leaving Lindberg with three putts to win it and although he left the first one too short, the second one safely found the heart of the hole to leave him with green emotions.
Rodrigues and Migliozzi shared second place in the top eight behind Ferguson, Van Driel and Olesen.
Lindberg, who was champion in 2013 and graduated from the Nordic Tour League to the Challenge Tour in 2020, before receiving his DP World Tour card in 2023, said: “I’ve been dreaming of this moment for many years, to be able to pull off this win, to play at the front in such difficult conditions, it’s very satisfying. It’s been a long time.”
Speaking of the bonus of getting his first start at next week’s PGA Championship, he added: “To be honest, I didn’t know I could get into the PGA Championship because I saw the guys who were leading the Asian Swing so far away from me. I don’t know what to say, but it’s going to be great.”
