• McIlroy’s US Open final-day iron shot on 10th wins vote
• Colsaerts surges clear of field in Volvo Golf Champions
Rory McIlroy’s six-iron to the 10th hole on the final day of his runaway US Open victory has been voted the European Tour’s shot of the year for 2011 by fans.
The towering tee shot over water came to rest just a few inches from the cup and for most people removed any lingering fear that the young Ulsterman would collapse like he did at the Masters two months earlier.
“I thought that shot was probably the most important in the round because YE Yang had just stuck it in there close,” he said. “To follow that up with mine was pretty cool.
“I had a big lead, but there was always the chance that if I had hit it in the water or done something silly and YE had made his birdie then it would have put a bit of pressure on me. Hopefully I can produce a few more of those in 2012.”
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts leads the Volvo Golf Champions by four strokes after surging clear of the field with a course-record 64 at Fancourt in South Africa on Thursday.
Padraig Harrington was three behind until he finished with a double-bogey seven that left England’s Tom Lewis and home hopes Thomas Aiken and Branden Grace in joint second.
The Open champion Darren Clarke managed only a 74, but that was one better than the Masters champion Charl Schwartzel in the winners-only 35-man event.
Even allowing for the small field, Colsaerts’ lead after day one was impressive, and there have only ever been seven events in European Tour history where someone has been further in front after 18 holes.
“Exceptional, but so is he,” Colin Montgomerie said of Colsaerts’ nine-under-par round. “He is fantastic – potentially as good as it gets.”
Despite such praise Colsaerts has only ever tasted victory once in nearly 200 European Tour starts and that will encourage the 34 players left trailing in his wake.
However, Clarke already has 10 strokes to make up – he was wearing contact lenses for the first time, but rustiness was his problem. Until he reached the 549-yard 18th Harrington was the one doing his best at trying to reel Colsaerts in, but a bad drive and three putts led to a double bogey and a 69.
“Such is life,” said the Dubliner, 89th in the world and trying to get back into the top 64 in time for next month’s Accenture world match play in Arizona.
“It was a very comfortable six under for 17 holes, but it’s a nasty tee shot and that was a mental error.”
Instead England’s Lewis and South Africans Aiken and Grace, who qualified by winning the Joburg Open on Sunday, share second spot.
Montgomerie played with Lewis and praised his performance. The 21-year-old led The Open last summer – his first-day 65 was the lowest ever round by an amateur in the event – and then won the Portugal Masters on only his third start as a professional.
“He has every opportunity to make you-know-what come September,” said Montgomerie in reference to the Ryder Cup.
No European has ever gone from Walker Cup to Ryder Cup in a year – Rickie Fowler has done it for the Americans – and Lewis is not dismissing the possibility.
“If I play well there’s no reason why not,” said the Welwyn Garden City-based golfer.
The day belonged to Colsaerts, though. The biggest hitter in Europe two seasons ago, he was looking forward to taking on Sandwich last July after finishing third in the Scottish Open the week before, but after deciding a scooter would be the best way to get about for the week in Kent he tried to jump a kerb because of the traffic and came unstuck.
“I tried to hit a few balls, but felt a bit like a clown – I was hitting 160-yard drives,” said the man used to blasting it twice as far.
Colsaerts was out for two months and has not had a top-eight finish since, but nine birdies in the last 11 holes reminded everybody what he is capable of.
He made twos on all four short holes and also birdied four of the five par fives.
A pair of 62s in Indonesia and Holland remain his lowest scores on the European Tour, but he said: “This is probably the best round I’ve ever had – it’s quite a serious test of golf.”
