VEDBÆK, Denmark--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With a critical birdie on the finishing hole at Adare Manor, Sigurdur Gardarsson of Iceland shot a 6-under 66 to win Round 5 of the NEXT Golf Tour Powered by Trackman.
His bogey-free round was enough to hold off Sweden’s Rasmus Rosin (-5), who was seeking a breakthrough win after top-five finishes in the first four NEXT events.
Gardarsson, who turned pro last year and also plays on the Ecco Tour, earned $19,351 with the victory, the first of his professional career. Rosin ($14,808) heads into the finale with an insurmountable lead on the season-long Order of Merit.
Seven players shot -4 to tie for third and earn $6,137 each. The group included Round 1 winner Mathias Gladbjerg of Denmark, who won the season opener in January and is now the second-ranked player on the Order of Merit.
Each of the six stops on the 2023 NEXT Golf Tour consist of one 18-hole individual stroke play round on a select Trackman Virtual Golf course. The mixed-field events are open to professionals and amateurs, with men and women competing straight-up from different tee boxes. The guaranteed minimum purse for each NEXT event is $100,000.
During each round, players also compete in “side games,” which account for $35,000 of the prize pool. Round 5 side games winners included:
Closest-to-the-Pin (Aggregate): Ashton Turner, UK (90’ 8”) — $6,000
Longest Drive (Men): Mathias Gladbjerg, Denmark (371.0 yards) — $2,000
Longest Drive (Women): Cecilie Finne-Ipsen, Denmark (292.9 yards) — $2,000
Birdie Streak: Five-way tie between Nicki Rye Schou, UK, Daniele Cabriles, Venezuela, Wes Homan, USA, Chandler Longfellow, USA, and Thomas Campbell, USA (4) — $550 ea
Most Greens in Regulation: Paul Huppmann, New Zealand and Rasmus Rosin, Sweden (15) — $1,175 ea
The 2023 NEXT Golf Tour season finale will be played March 22–April 2 at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Trackman simulators worldwide. The top 100 players on the Order of Merit will compete for a $100,000 purse in the finale, with the winner receiving $20,000 and guaranteed paychecks for everyone in the top 30.
The top 10 players on the Order of Merit after the finale will split a $50,000 bonus pool. With $53,340 in stroke play earnings through five events, Rosin has already locked down the top spot and will receive a $15,000 bonus.
To learn more about the NEXT Golf Tour, including rules and full results, visit NEXTGolfTour.com. Follow the action on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @NEXTGolfTour and #NEXTGolfTour
ABOUT TRACKMAN
Proudly based in Vedbæk, Denmark, Trackman is the world’s leading developer of radar tracking technology for use in golf performance analysis. The iconic Trackman 4 launch monitor — aka “the little orange box” — is trusted by elite players, coaches, equipment manufacturers and clubfitters to provide ultra-precise data on virtually every aspect of club motion and ball flight. Trackman Range and indoor golf simulator solutions bring our tour-proven technology to the masses, featuring the best practice, virtual golf and entertainment software in the industry. Learn more at trackman.com.
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