Sweden's Hanell Reigns in Madeira
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| In a battle against the elements as well as the other players, Christopher
Hanell scored his first professional victory this weekend at the Madeira Island Open.
Heavy rain caused delays on Friday and Saturday and the high winds wreaked havoc with the
scores, making Hanell's 4 under par total of 284 look very respectable as many others were
posting rounds in the 80s over the weekend. |
Christopher Hanell.
Photo - Getty Images
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Steven Jeppesen.
Photo - Getty Images
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Swedish players seem to fare well at this tournament with three previous
winners in recent history and another of Hanell's countrymen, Steven Jeppesen, taking a
share of second place in this year's event. Jeppesen had started the final round sharing
the lead with Denmark's Knud Storgaard (finished T7, 287) but a 4 over par final round
left him one shot behind Hanell on 285 along with Australian, Brad Kennedy and American,
Rob Rashell. |
| Kennedy had to settle for runner-up spot for the second time in a month
and if it weren't for the 18th hole, which he played twice on Sunday due to Saturday's
rainfall, the outcome could have been quite different. In the morning he mistakenly
altered his card from a seven to an eight on the 18th, thinking he had incurred a penalty
when taking relief from a cart path. In the afternoon he only needed a par on the last to
complete one of the best rounds of the day but put his ball in the rough then the bunker
and took a bogey. |
Brad Kennedy.
Photo - Getty Images
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Rob Rashell.
Photo - Getty Images
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Graduate of last year's qualifying school, Rob Rashell's tied second place
here makes it two top-10s from two starts in his European Tour career so far, having
finished tied for 10th at the Omega Hong Kong Open at the start of the 2004 campaign. |
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