Michael Jonzon is living proof that in golf it takes just one week to make it a great year. Without a single top 10 finish since December and needing to come first or second to keep his European Tour card, the Swedish golfer won the Castello Masters in Spain with a closing 18-foot birdie putt today.
The nerves were there for all to see as the burly 37-year-old, 158th on the money list and needing to climb into the top 115, lost his grip on the tournament by double-bogeying the 15th and dropping another shot at the 17th.
Martin Kaymer, six behind with five to play, was suddenly level when he birdied the 14th, 16th and 17th — and Jonzon’s fellow countryman Christian Nilsson was 19 under par as well in the clubhouse.
When Kaymer then hit his approach to the 428-yard last to nine feet the 24-year-old German looked favourite for a victory that would take him back to the top of the Order of Merit — and this despite him limping all week in his first event since breaking toes in a go-kart crash in August.
But Jonzon, 482nd in the world and playing with tenth-ranked Sergio Garcia and 12th-ranked Kaymer, holed from twice as far, Kaymer missed and it was all over.
In finishing in a tie for second spot, Kaymer has leapfrogged Rory McIlroy into second on the Race to Dubai table, with Lee Westwood leading the way.
“I’m on the moon,” said Jonzon, whose only previous success in 290 tour starts was the 1997 Portuguese Open.
“It’s been desperate for me and I am kind of speechless at the moment. It’s unbelievable.”
The first prize of just over €333,330 was more than four times his previous biggest cheque in a career that goes back 16 years and includes eight trips to the qualifying school.
“It’s going to take time to let this sink in, I guess,” he added. “I’m just so thrilled to have a playing status for next year and I’m so proud of myself the way I handled these days.”
One ahead overnight, he lost the lead when defending champion Garcia opened with back-to-back birdies, but the Spanish star is still looking for his first top-three finish of the year after falling back to fourth on his home course.
Jonzon grabbed an eagle and three birdies to turn in 31 and seemed to be coasting when he birdied the long 13th while Nilsson followed six successive birdies with a bogey six there and Kaymer ran up a seven on the same hole.
But getting the job done proved anything but easy in the end.
Meanwhile, Darren Clarke shot a closing round of 65 to move up to a tie for eighth place on 14-under, enough to move him up to 58th on the Race to Dubai table and inside the top-60 that will compete in the end of season finale next month.
The Dungannon golfer got off to a flyer with three straight birdies, before a bogey at the fifth. But another hat-trick of birdies from the seventh saw him go out in 31 blows.
Birdies on the 11th and 13th then brought him into contention, but he failed to keep his electric form going down the stretch with a bogey at the 14th followed by four straight pars to finish.
Gary Murphy closed with a 68 for his best round of the week to finish on four under, but the Kilkenny golfer still went backwards in the standings as he fight to hold on to his Tour card. He dropped four places to 123rd, eight places away from safety.
