Haeggman Hits Dizzy Heights of Fame

Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman took his first step on the road to regaining his place amongst the golfing elite with victory at the AGF-Allianz Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne on the European Challenge Tour. Haeggman, who made a miraculous up and down on the final hole at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André to save par, carded a final round 68 to finish on five under par and take the title by one shot from England’s Marcus Higley.The Swede’s last victory came at the Qatar Masters in 2004, since when a loss of form and fitness has seen him slide down the Rankings and lose his card on The European Tour. Haeggman, who now heads to Seville to compete at the Open de Espana on The European Tour, said: “I hit a lot of quality shots in the tournament, but it’s still going to take a while for all the different aspects of my game to come together at the same time. This week is the best I’ve played for at least two years, though obviously there’s still room for improvement. “But I’ve got my confidence back now, and I feel I can start winning golf tournaments again. It’s not a case of reaching out blindly to find some form – it’s more a case of looking inside to bring out the game I know I have. If I can find it consistently, I know I’m good enough to compete and win again on The European Tour. That’s the ultimate goal, but I’m taking it one week, one day, one shot at a time.” Higley shot a 67 – the lowest round of the day – to finish on four under par, with his compatriot Stuart Davis, Sweden’s Andreas Högberg, Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin and Italy’s Allesandro Tadini in a tie for third two shots further back.