Noren notches up August Ace

Alexander Noren has won The European Tour Shot of the Month for August, capping a fantastic summer in which he won his maiden European Tour title. The highly rated Swede was on the 18th fairway on the final day of the KLM Open and despite a tricky pin position finished the tournament in stunning fashion, firing an accurate approach which spun back into the hole for an eagle two. It was not enough to win Noren the title in Holland – he finished tied tenth on nine under - but he did not have to wait long as two weeks later he was celebrating his first European Tour victory, at the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps. Second place in the Shot of the Month competition went to Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez for his superb approach to the 18th green on the final day of the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. Jiménez’s line to the green was blocked by an overhanging tree but, undeterred, he produced a masterful draw which left the ball a few feet from the pin and he tapped in for a birdie to share sixth place. In third place was Swede Peter Hedblom for his majestic approach from the rough on the seventh hole at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles which was the catalyst for his one shot victory over compatriot Martin Erlandsson. The spectacular effort ended up on the lip of the cup and sparked a run of four consecutive birdies en route to a five under par 67.
Winners of the Shot of the Month in 2009 are: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (January and March), Paul Casey of England (February and May) and Argentina’s Angel Cabrera (April), Rafa Echenique (June) and Ricardo Gonzalez (July). The European Tour Shot of the Month is awarded to the Tour Member for the shot judged to be the best played each month on The European Tour International Schedule. At the end of the season, the winning shot from each month will be nominated for the Shot of the Year Award.