Julian Suri claims 1st European Tour title with Denmark win

By AP
Published

FARSO, Denmark (AP) Julian Suri carded a final round of 64 to win the Made in Denmark event on Sunday and claim his first European Tour title in just his seventh appearance.

The American fired seven birdies and no bogeys at Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort to finish 19 under and four shots clear of overnight leader David Horsey, who triple-bogeyed the final hole.

''This is the reason why you get up early every morning to practice, go to the gym and get prepared to succeed,'' said the 26-year-old Suri, who won the D+D REAL Czech Challenge in May and becomes the third American to win on the European Tour and Challenge Tour after U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka and Peter Uihlein.

Chris Paisley, Steve Webster and Ben Evans shared third place on 13 under, with 51-year-old John Daly who was trying to become the oldest winner in European Tour history finishing in a tie for 10th after a closing 71.

The final round developed into a head-to-head battle between playing partners Horsey and Suri, who began the day two shots behind but raced into the lead with five birdies in a front nine of 31.

Horsey, who was looking to win the event for the second time in three years, got back on level terms with birdies on the 11th and 12th and both birdied the 14th to remain well clear of the chasing pack.

Suri then struck the decisive blow with a birdie from 20 feet on the 15th and victory was assured when Horsey lost a ball following a wild drive on the 18th and found a water hazard with his second attempt.

''To have seven birdies and be bogey-free in the final round was really solid,'' Suri said. ''There was no wind and with all the rain last night there were going to be a lot of birdies. I have an aggressive mentality so I feel like that played right into my hands.

''I feel like my game belongs at the top of the game. This is definitely something I've worked for and kind of expected for a long time. But to finally come out and do it, especially after the string of good finishes this summer, is really special.''