Niall Horan leads plaudits for Connor Syme after fantastic pro debut

Pop star Niall Horan led the plaudits for Connor Syme after he finished T12 on his professional debut at the Portugal Masters.

The 22-year-old showed no signs of nerves at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, posting rounds of 68, 69, 68 and 67 in a hugely promising display which earned him €29,050. Had he squeezed into the top ten, he would have earned a place in this week’s British Masters.

The performance came just days after Syme signed with MODEST! Golf Management after his appearance for GB&I in the Walker Cup and Horan – one of the management company’s directors – took to Twitter to praise the young Scot to his following of more than 34 million.

Marc Warren, meanwhile, enjoyed his best finish on the European Tour for almost three years after finishing runner-up on 16-under-par – four behind Bjerregaard.

“I didn’t look at the leaderboard,” said Warren, who jumped up the Race to Dubai to 100th. “I knew the middle of the back nine Lucas was a few in front, so I was just trying to finish as best as I could. You know, trying not to go chasing it, stay patient.

“I knew going out today that I obviously needed a good round. You know, you’re in contention and conditions were favourable again. The wind was a little bit less than yesterday. Greens seemed a little bit softer, as well, which helps approach shots.

“It’s just nice to be pretty much 100% again,” added Warren, who has struggled for a while due to a shoulder injury. “Driving the ball as well as I have done, if I keep the driving stats up, the short game is pretty good, I think we can have a good, strong finish to the season.”