Top-20 finishes for Hurley and Power as Blomstrand converts 54-hole lead

Mark McGowan
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Christofer Blomstrand (Pic: Getty Images)

Mark McGowan

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Gary Hurley and Mark Power both secured top-20 finishes in the HotelPlanner Tour’s Dormy Open in Sweden, but victory went to home favourite and new Road to Mallorca number one Christofer Blomstrand.

The Swede battled through tough Sunday conditions at Kristianstad Golf Club to post a closing three under par 67 to reach 11 under, two strokes clear of his compatriot David Lundgren and South African Wilco Nienaber.

Blomstrand won his first HotelPlanner Tour title in Finland two years ago and returned to the winner’s circle earlier this month at the Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A. This latest triumph in Åhus propels the 34-year-old to the summit of the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings and puts him in prime position to secure promotion to the DP World Tour for the 2027 season.

“This month, the whole of August, has been fantastic to me,” Blomstrand said.

“I’ve played some very good golf and I hope I can continue this level and see where I end up at the end of the season.

“This is the first time I’ve won at home in front of my family which means so much to me.”

Blomstrand started the final round in a share of the lead with Lundgren and quickly became the man to chase after his countryman dropped a shot on the second. Lundgren responded with a birdie on six before Blomstrand kicked his round into life on the par five eighth, where an eagle for the second day running helped him pull two shots clear.

Lundgren halved the deficit with a birdie on ten, and a dropped shot from Blomstrand on the 12th saw the duo once again tied at the top with six holes to play.

The now three-time HotelPlanner Tour winner stepped up during the closing stretch, however, with a stunning approach on the 15th setting up a routine birdie and a pinpoint wedge on the penultimate par four teeing up another gain to close the door on his nearest challengers.

Blomstrand sealed victory with a stress-free par on the 72nd hole and was pleased with how he delivered during the key moments of a closely fought final round.

“I was trying to be smart at the start,” he added. “I was feeling tired this morning, so my biggest goal was to make sure I had the energy today.

“The eighth hole was a very important moment in the round. My only bad shot was on 12 today, but then on 14 I hit a great shot that hit the pin. I managed to fly the bunker on 17 and had 53 metres to the pin, and it felt amazing to chip that one up to a couple of feet.

“I was quite nervous this morning and a little bit on the front nine. David was playing nicely and Wilco came on strong at the end, so I knew I needed to up my game. I was super happy with the birdies I made coming in to have a two-shot lead heading down the last.”

German Hurly Long also posted a closing 67 to reach seven under par and hold solo fourth, one stroke ahead of Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent, Dane Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen and Dutchman Wil Besseling, who share fifth.

Hurley closed out with a one-under 69 to finish the week at -3 tied for 12th and climbs to 56th in the rankings, while Power went one better in the final round and shot a two-under 68 to finish T19 at -2.

A three-over 73 left Ronan Mullarney in a tie for 50th at +4, one shot ahead of James Sugrue who also closed the week with a 73.

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