Alex Noren was happy to find a missing piece of his golfing puzzle as he claimed victory for the first time in over seven years at last week’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.
His win at the 2018 Open de Frence was his seventh in four seasons and came just months before he played on the victorious European Ryder Cup team in Paris.
One of those triumphs came at the Omega European Masters and Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club was also the scene of his maiden DP World Tour triumph in 2009.
So he heads up the mountain not only as a course expert but also full of confidence as he looks to fully rediscover the form that made him one of the most prolific winners in world golf.
And while he revealed that his putting was a major factor in his return to the winner’s circle, that also proved to be a catalyst for other aspects of the game, both technical and mental.
“I’ve started putting better,” he said. “I went to visit my putting coach that I went to see a lot when I was in Europe.
“My stroke was good but I didn’t maybe practise in the best way and he corrected that in terms of strategy when at a tournament and off a tournament.
“It boosted my confidence when I was on the greens. I try to putt a little faster, be a bit more decisive and it helped. I also trained more putting the last five weeks.
“When you make a few more birdies you relax a little bit and the game feels a little bit easier. It’s all a puzzle in this game.”
Noren’s victory at The Belfry Hotel & Resort took him back into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking and came after back-to-back top tens on the PGA TOUR.
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The 11-time DP World Tour winner is well known as one of the hardest workers on tour – with images of his blistered hands gaining online fame – and he is delighted to once again be seeing all that hard work pay off.
“It was unexpected and expected because I was playing well coming in,” he said. “Then I wasn’t playing very well at the beginning of the week but had a great weekend so I managed to get that win in the end.
“It was weird, right after it felt surreal seen as it’s been so long since my last win. Now it’s kind of sunk in.
“I’ve focused mostly on how I play and not trying to get so hooked up in winning so it was more that I was super happy with my game over the weekend and the tournaments just before last week.
“Me, my caddie and my coach work hard at every part of the game and try to get it in a place where I can win and to pull through was almost like a bonus.”
It’s all a puzzle in this game
Last time Noren won in Crans-Montana in 2016, he won the British Masters just six weeks later – this time he is looking to do it the other way around with the events coming back-to-back.
He is ready for the challenge, however, and sees some similarity in strategies for the two events, which were both part of the inaugural DP World Tour season in 1972.
“I’ve always loved this week,” he said. “It’s my favourite week of the whole year and I just think it's fabulous – everything about it.
“The times I’ve done well I think I’ve had a good short game around this place and it’s pretty strategic, I like strategic golf courses.
"Last week and this week the course will play pretty similar: tricky greens, smallish greens and then bouncy off the tee."
