Rich Beem has praised Rickie Fowler for his Scottish Open victory and feels more Americans should come to play in Europe.
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It was another impressive finish to a tournament for Fowler, who also produced a late birdie run at the Players Championship to force a play-off and snatch victory, with Beem quick to praise his latest closing stretch.
Fowler then defeated Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia in a play-off, just days after he and Ian Poulter were voted the most overrated players by their peers in an anonymous survey conducted by Sports Illustrated.
The ovation at the endgame at Gullane wasn’t quite the rapture reserved for the ultimate honorary Scot, Phil Mickelson, in his imperious weeks at Castle Stuart and Muirfield in the summer of 2013, but it was reminiscent of it. The warmth of the crowd was utterly heartfelt and in the context of the Open championship this was a day that might well prove significant.
“I told him I would see if I could take care of the first leg of it”, Fowler said, of his conversation with Mickelson on the morning of the final round.
Kuchar had set the clubhouse target on 11 under, finally ending the hopes of Scotland’s Marc Warren who had finished 10 under par four hours earlier after a superb 64.
Raphael Jacquelin of France birdied the last hole for 70 to tie for second place with Kuchar, and claim one of three British Open places on offer along with third-round leader Daniel Brooks, the No. 528-ranked Englishman, and Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg.
“This is pretty special”, he said.
– Have two of the biggest young stars in golf win on the same day. “You never know, down the road, there could be some good battles with Rory (when fit), Jordan and me”.
“I had to dig deep”.
Fowler, who finished in the top five in all four majors past year, added: “There are a few things we can tighten up for next week but I am looking forward to getting back to St Andrews, the Home of Golf, and getting into contention”.
Brooks started the final round with a one-stroke lead over Jacquelin, but his driving was poor and he was forced to scramble for a 73 that still clinched him an Open berth for the first time.
“As for next week, I’m feeling very good about the game”.
Fowler took the outright lead in the tournament for the first time with his last shot of the week, from the middle of the 18th fairway. It was nearly in.
Brooks had been in even worse form than Jacquelin this season, missing the cut in 13 consecutive events before finishing 20th in Paris last week.
“To win on a links golf course, my favourite style of golf, in Scotland the week before the Open at St Andrews is great timing”.
“I enjoyed the week, we got some tests over the weekend with the wind and it made it fun so you had to be on top of your game”.
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Twice before – in 2012 and 2014 – the Glaswegian, 34, looked a likely victor of his national title with only a few holes to play; twice he failed, his own mistakes rather than any brilliance from the eventual champions the difference.
