The Scandinavian Masters tournament, being played for the 20th time this year, will feature two ‘firsts’ in 2010: namely the first year of a new sponsor – the financial services firm Nordea – and the first year at the new venue of Bro Hof Slott Golf Club in Stockholm.
Last year the tournament took place at Barsebäck Golf and Country Club on the outskirts of Malmö where Argentine powerhouse Ricardo Gonzalez claimed his fourth title on The European Tour International Schedule, eight years after his first in the 2001 Omega European Masters.
Argentine golfers love a nickname. Angel Cabrera is affectionately known as ‘El Pato’ – The Duck, while Eduardo Romero goes by the soubriquet ‘El Gato’ – The Cat. Now there is another one to add to the list, as Gonzalez now goes by the name of ‘El Hombre del Hacha’, or ‘The Axeman’.
The moniker materialised after Gonzalez failed to qualify for the previous week’s Open Championship at Turnberry and returned home to take out his frustrations – by chopping down trees on his farm.
The unusual therapy certainly paid dividends as he returned to action a new man and proved it in style by producing a ten under par total of 282, an aggregate good enough for a two shot triumph over Welshman Jamie Donaldson.
