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Alex Noren won the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters for the second time and ended a nearly seven-year winless drought worldwide on Sunday.

The 43-year-old Swede birdied three of the last four holes and overcame a closing bogey to shoot 5-under 67 at The Belfry Resort and Hotel in Sutton Coldfield, England, for a one-stroke victory over Nicolai Hojgaard and Kazuma Kobori. 

“I don’t think I’ve played like this for a long, long time,” said Noren, who previously won this event in 2016. “I’m really proud of myself.”

Noren missed seven months earlier this season with a hamstring injury. One of the hardest workers in all of men’s professional golf, the Swede wasn’t pleased with his ballstriking the first two rounds and called his coach, who tweaked his setup.

“It really paid off,” Noren said. “It felt good.”

In the final round, he wedged inside 2 feet at the second hole for his first birdie of the day and knocked his approach at the third to 4 feet for another easy birdie. 

“You knew he was in command of his game right away,” the Golf Channel announcer said. 

How dialed in was he on Sunday? His longest birdie putt came from 14 feet at No. 10. He shot 65-67 on the weekend to finish with a 72-hole total of 16-under 272.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick held the 54-hole lead but shot 2-over 74 and settled for T-6. New Zealand’s Kobori made the biggest charge, closing in 6 under on his last six holes to shoot 65, including a 60-foot eagle at 17 and another 60-footer at the last for birdie. But Noren had his own hot finish and said he was more concerned with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, who held the lead for much of the day.

The 24-year-old Dane shot 67 but made a costly bogey at 14 to come up two short. It still was a memorable day for the Hojgaards as Nicolai’s twin brother, Rasmus, posted 1-under 71 and finished T-13, which was good enough to catapult him over Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry and finish sixth in the European Ryder Cup rankings and earn a spot on the European Ryder Cup team for the first time.

“There were a couple times out there where I really had to calm myself and not let things spin out of control,” Rasmus said. “I’m over the moon.” 

Asked if he felt he could make a late bid for a captain’s pick from Luke Donald for Team Europe, Noren dismissed such talk and said, “It would be great but I’m more just happy to get this win, first in seven years.”

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