Lee Westwood got off to a flying start for the week with a superb win in the one-hole Hero Knock Out Challenge in front of an highly enthusiastic crowd at the Close House Golf course.
Westwood, who like the seven others in the eight-man field, was playing in the one-hole knock-out Hero Challenge for the first time, beat Sergio Garcia in a shoot-out in the final, after eliminating Ross Fisher and Bernd Wiesberger in a similar fashion in earlier rounds.
Pawan Munjal, Chairman, CEO and Managing Director of the Hero MotoCorp, who first brought this format into the game last year, gave away the prizes.
Staged under arc lights at a specially constructed Par-3 on the 18th at the lovely course, the Hero Challenge was watched by more than 4,000 fans that packed the grandstand.
This was the third segment of the Hero Challenge, which made its debut at the British Masters last year and was then held before the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in July. The third Hero Challenge, and the fourth overall, will be held in Dubai at the DP World Tour Championships in November.
Westwood said:"It's a great way to kick off the tournament. It's different and I really enjoyed it. I didn't expect to win, I have to admit, but it is a great start to the week and it was good fun playing against Sergio in the final. The crowd really got behind it. They were brilliant. You wouldnt expect anything else from a Newcastle crowd at a sporting event though - theyre always good."
The 2017 Masters champion, Garcia, who earlier said that the game needed new formats to attract young crowds, was thrilled to reach the final.
He said:"The Hero Challenge is a great idea to bring in new audiences to the game. When I was growing up, there were not so many choices for sport for us, but now there are so many choices. The European Tour and the sponsors have brought in a great idea."
In the opening match, Garcia beat his senior Spanish rival, the highly entertaining Miguel Angel Jimenez, while Bernd Wiesberger beat the 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett with a hole out in a sudden-death after both parred the hole.
On the other side of the draw, Westwood beat fellow Englishman Ross Fisher in a shoot out, while two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer did likewise against young Mathew Fitzpatrick, who is the 2015 British Masters winner.
In the semi-finals, Garcia got past Wiesberger and Westwood beat Kaymer. Into the final, Westwood came through in a shoot-out beating Garcia, as both players waved out and sent the fans into a frenzy.
The Hero Challenge will be played for a third time in 2017 and fourth overall at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November.
Hero Challenge Results:
Round 1: Match 1: Sergio Garcia beat Miguel ngel Jimnez; Match 2: Bernd Wiesberger beat Danny Willett; Match 3: Lee Westwood beat Ross Fisher; Match 4: Martin Kaymer beat Matthew Fitzpatrick
Semi-Finals: Garcia beat Wiesberger; Westwood beat Kaymer; Final: Westwood beat Garcia.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
