Mikko Ilonen of Finland has pulled off the biggest win of his career, defeating top seed Henrik Stenson of Sweden 3 and 1 in the final of the World Match Play championship.
Ilonen clinched the win at London Golf Club on Sunday, in what was the 50th anniversary of the celebrated European PGA Tour tournament, on the 17th green when Stenson, already 2 down, conceded after missing with a long birdie putt.
Setting out shortly after winning their morning semi-finals, the tournament's concluding tie saw some patchy play from both men to start with.
Ilonen though was the steadier and he moved ahead with a birdie putt at the eighth.
The Finn then took back-to-back holes at the 11th and 12th to move three ahead.
Stenson tried hard to claw his way back into it, taking the 13th and 15th holes, but Ilonen kept him at bay by winning the 14th.
The Swede needed to win the last two holes to take the final into a sudden death playoff, but Ilonen hit a better drive and approach close to the pin and Stenson shook hands after missing with his birdie putt.
"The game plan was not to make any mistakes and I didn't make any," said Ilonen, who won the Irish Open this summer.
"I definitely felt really comfortable going into the final and I felt I had a good chance of beating him."
Stenson said that he had exceeded his own expectations just by getting to the final.
"I felt I was running low on energy and I don't know where I found the energy to finish this afternoon," he said.
"I didn't play my best and was unlucky on a couple of holes but all credit to him."
Meanwhile, Joost Luiten of the Netherlands defeated South Africa's George Coetzee to take third place.
Share
