Nordea Masters: Power ranking the top 10 at Hills Golf and Sports Club
The Nordea Masters moves to Hills GC for the first time in its return to Gothenburg, Sweden
The European Tour pitches its tent in Sweden this week for the Nordea Masters, or the Scandinavian Masters for the OG European Tour fans out there.
The tournament heads to Hills Golf and Sports Club for the first time. Although we’re seeing a new course, the host city of Gothenburg might be familiar to golf fans.
The city of nearly 600,000 claims Henrik Stenson and Carl Pettersson among its professional golf natives. This will be its first time hosting a European Tour event since 1996 when Lee Westwood prevailed over Paul Broadhurst and Russell Claydon at Forsgarden.
Hills GC measures to 7,169 yards for a par-71. The inward half is a par 35 and only 3,359 yards. The 18th is a 549-yard par-5. This course is not at elevation.
It’s a parkland style course with generous fairways and a scattering of bunkers and water hazards. The greens are bent grass and will likely be running at average speeds.
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Some players may have seen Hills at a 2008 Challenge Tour event.
Like many traditional European Tour events, weather will dictate the winning score. It looks like there will be a lot of rain and light winds based on early week forecasts, so keep that in mind as you make your picks.
Long hitters may have an advantage if the fairways aren’t running out.
It’s a tough time in the season for European Tour events to attract strong fields. With the major championship season in the books and the upcoming FedEx Cup Playoffs sucking away some of the top European Tour talent all the way up to the Ryder Cup, the fields are a little sparse.
That’s OK because your intrepid power ranker is here to sort things out and find 10 players in good form.