Former world number one Lee Westwood opened with a two-over 72 while fellow Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Andy Sullivan slumped to a 75 and 74 respectively.
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Hend reduced his deficit to a single shot by getting up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the 15th, and when Noren three-putted the 17th from long range the pair were tied for the lead with one to play.
Noren hit his approach to 30 feet and while Hend hit a good chip to give himself a chance at par the Swede ended proceedings by holing his birdie effort.
“I didn’t hit the very best of tee shots and I was down the right”.
Alex Noren of Sweden plays the ball during the third round of the Omega European Masters Golf Tournament in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016.
Noren’s 66 will see him start Sunday’s round on 12-under par, just two shots in front of England’s Richard Bland in third place.
Willett shared 12th with Fisher, who eagled both the seventh and ninth holes in his bogey-free 63, while Chris Wood – the other Ryder Cup debutant in action over the weekend – picked up four shots in as many holes from the 14th to salvage a 70 which left him on two under for the tournament. I’ve never won coming from behind and never won a play-off on the European Tour and it feels even more unbelievable.
But it wasn’t to be.
It was another poor tee shot from Hend which eventually proved fatal, the Queenslander finding the left trees for the second time in 20 minutes and unable to hit the green.
The win is Noren’s second this season after he also won the Scottish Open in July and made the final at the Paul Lawrie Matchplay. “I have no pressure and maybe that’s why I can play good”.
“Yeah, I feel that way”.
“But he (Alex) played fantastic golf today (and) I didn’t play quite well enough”. “I feel steadier with my driver, which has never been my good side”.
“I was a bit anxious about hitting the tree in front of me and then hitting it in the water so thought ‘You know what, if you make a five so be it, just don’t really mess it up and put a big number on the card'”. It is great to have my family here, my baby and my parents here for the first time.
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However, Hend fought back on the homeward stretch to force the play-off, bogeying the 11th but then managing three birdies at the next four holes.
