Mikko Ilonen of Finland defeated Sweden’s Henrik Stenson by 3&1 to win the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship at the London Golf Club in Kent.
Mikko Ilonen of Finland defeated Sweden’s Henrik Stenson by 3&1 to win the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship at the London Golf Club in Kent.
Ilonen produced an error-free performance in the final. In blustery conditions, the Finn posted four birdies and suffered no bogeys en-route to collecting the winner’s cheque for €650,000, his fifth victory on the European Tour and his second this season, following the Irish Open.
Ilonen pushed on with birdies at the 10th and 12th holes to go three-up on the Swede. Stenson wasn’t going to give up easily however. The World Number five struck back with a birdie at the 13th to reduce the deficit to two.
“I felt comfortable. You would have thought I’d be nervous against the World Number five, but I’ve played so much golf with Henrik over the years I felt like it was a friendly game,” he said. “To see my name on this trophy amongst all the great players is a big thing.”
“I ran out of energy if I’m honest and I battled my swing in the afternoon,” he said. “Mikko played nicely and he didn’t make any mistakes. The best player won on the day.”
In the playoff for third and fourth spots, Holland’s Joost Luiten beat George Coetzee of South Africa at the first extra hole. Coetzee was never ahead in the match and Luiten held steady to take the match on the 19th.
Volvo World Match Play Championship The London Golf Club, Ash, Kent Oct 15-19, purse €2,250,000, par 72
