Nordea Masters top 10 power rankings

Matthew Fitzpatrick. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Matthew Fitzpatrick. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alex Noren . Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Noren . Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Alex Noren is coming into the Nordea Masters just about as hot as a player can get. The only real question I have is whether or not he can sustain his final-round momentum from last week.

The Oklahoma State product is now officially on the hunt for his 10th European Tour title and while back-to-back wins last week and this might be a bit much, even for Noren. I look for him to play as big as Stenson, if not bigger, for the hometown crowd this week in Malmö.

By the numbers, there’s really very little that distinguishes Noren’s game. He’s not particularly long off the tee nor is he especially accurate.  His work on the putting surface – he’s averaging 28.8 putts per round and ranks 40th on the Tour – gives him a bit of an edge. But the real strength in Noren’s game comes in his tee-to-green play. He’s hitting better than 73 percent of the greens in regulation – which puts him at 36th on the Tour – and that’s where he’s establishing his dominance.

For Noren, keep an eye on his GIR stats this week. If he’s hitting at 75 percent or better he’s going to get himself into contention at Barseback.