Wilmington, NC …
Swede Alex Noren formally confirmed he will return to defend his Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open title in July as he looks to also gain a foothold on the PGA Tour.
Noren posted a five under par 67 but held the clubhouse lead for just over an hour before Italy’s Francesco Molinali chipped-in at the last in a 66 to make it a European one-two atop of the Wells Fargo Championship leader board in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Molinari, 34 and the reigning Italian Open champion, is looking to draw inspiration from his brother, Eduardo who earlier this year captured the Hassan 11 Trophy in Morocco in capturing a first PGA Tour title.
Unlike Molinari, Noren is competing in this week on the Eagle Point course on an invitation and looking to make the most of his limited opportunities to secure full Stateside membership.
Swede Alex Noren holds aloft the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open trophy.
“I’m trying to earn a card here so I can combine the two by also playing in Europe”, he said.
“I’ve got a little kid at home and they like it in Sweden and we’ll see how it goes, but the ultimate goal is to be able to have a card here, as well”.
However, the 34-year old Noren is already also looking ahead to Dundonald Links and the July 13th start to the defence of his Scottish Open crown.
Noren’s victory last year at Castle Stuart was the first of four victories in 11 events for the Stockholm-based golfer and lifting him from 99th in the world to 49th and teeing up this week along the Atlantic shoreline as World No. 12.
“Winning the Scottish Open was the start of this big change of fortune in my career so it was an extra special week for me winning the Scottish”, he said.
“I recall I really putted well all week and that was very much the key for me.
“Of course, I am looking forward very much to returning as defending champion although I know little of Dundonald Links other than it is pretty close to Royal Troon.
“It would be nice to go back to Castle Stuart as that course is always going to very special to me in my career but then the best way to cure that is to win the Scottish Open again this year, so that will be my goal”.
However, Molinari confirmed he will be taking a fortnight off prior to The Open and that rules out the Italian joining Noren at Dundonald Links.
And Scotland’s Martin Laird still awaits confirmation of his “exemption” into Scotland’s premier event.
“I am expecting to play but it just that I have not heard from the European Tour,” said Laird.
Laird capped his opening Wells Fargo round of a one-under par 71 with three birdies in succession from the fourth hole with the best he said a 6-iron into the par three, fifth hole and in between two par fives, and knocking in the nine-foot putt.
“One under is a nice little start but that was the worst score I could have shot today and then for the birdie to lip-out at the last was annoying at that my fifth lip-out of the round”, he said.
“It was just one of those rounds where I had two three-putts, five lip-outs and on 16 I did not get up-and-down, so it was one of those rounds that could have been five or six under without doing too much different.
“But then I did have a couple out up-and-downs, so overall I can’t be too displeased”.
And World No. 1 Dustin Johnson returned to competition for a first time since suffering a back injury on the eve of the Masters to shoot a two-under par 7o.
