Mark Ferguson reports as the World Match Play Championship concludes at the London Golf Club…
Mikko Ilonen is the new World Match Play Champion after beating top seed Henrik Stenson 3&1 in the final.
In tough conditions at the London Golf Club, Ilonen played superbly – making four birdies during his bogey-free round.
He became the first Finnish player to win the World Match Play Championship and the success marks a great year for him after winning the Irish Open in June.
His latest victory will go down as the biggest of his career so far and he will pick up the first prize of 650,000 euros.
Going into the final, Ilonen was a massive underdog as the world number 52 took on world number five.
Throughout the week there have been plenty of shocks and upsets. Yesterday’s quarter-finals proved no different with two of the Ryder Cup’s best performers failing to make the semi-finals.
George Coetzee’s 2&1 victory over American Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed was the first shock of the day and Europe’s Victor Dubuisson soon followed Reed out of the competition when Ilonen upset the odds, beating the Frenchman by two holes.
Joost Luiten booked his place in the semi-finals in emphatic style and maintained his 100 percent record by smashing Pablo Larrazabal 6&5.
Stenson continued his good form to come out on top in a battle of the Swedes – the world number five sent his compatriot Jonas Blixt out of the competition with a two-hole victory.
Coetzee stood in Stenson’s way of a place in the final and looked keen on causing another surprise.
The top seed found it hard against Coetzee, who led on four occasions during the match. However, Stenson dug deep and the two were level heading down the final hole which was to be the decider.
Both Stenson and Coetzee left themselves lengthy putts at the last. Coetzee came agonisingly close to finding the cup from just off the green and could only watch on as Stenson snatched victory by stroking home a 15-foot birdie putt.
In the other semi-final, Luiten’s 100 per cent record came to an end when he was beaten 2&1 by Ilonen.
After stringing together three birdies Luiten was one up after 13 holes, but Ilonen replied with two birdies on the next two holes to regain the lead before sealing his place in the final with a long birdie putt at the 17th.
And then there were two – Stenson and Ilonen went head-to-head for the World Match Play Championship.
Stenson took an early lead with a birdie on the fourth. However, he then bogeyed the fifth and made an uncharacteristic error on the eight – putting his tee shot straight into the water. Ilonen capitalised and birdied the 10th and 12th to go three up.
The final was kept alive when Stenson birdied the 13th to reduce the deficit to two, though it wasn’t long before Ilonen made it three again with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 14th.
The Swede, who was so reliable during the Ryder Cup, fought back again with a birdie on the par-five 15th.
Ilonen made no mistakes, though, and made sure there was no way back for Stenson, wrapping it up on the 17th to seal a huge triumph.