Scandinavian Masters: For the second time in his short golfing life Marc Warren proved himself a young man for a crisis when snatching victory from the man of the moment, Robert Karlsson, in the Scandinavian Masters near Malmo yesterday.
The slim Glaswegian, who knocked in the winning putt in the 2001 Walker Cup at Sea Island, Georgia, squeezed out the 6ft 5in Swede at the second play-off hole after shooting 69 to tie with a 10-under-par 278 total.
It was a first European title for the 25-year-old rookie, who earned his main Tour ticket by finishing first on the Challenge Tour last year with the help of two big victories.
Karlsson never found the magic that earned him a second victory of the season in last week's European Players' Championship in Hamburg with a record 25-below-par aggregate, closing with a 71.
Following a course-record 63 on Saturday - a round that included nine birdies and an eagle - he looked a sure bet to secure his third Tour win and Sweden's eighth of the summer.
But Warren, who spent six hours hitting shots under the watchful eye of coach Bob Torrance - father of Sam - before flying to Sweden, pulled off a smash-and-grab win that was as audacious as it was improbable.
Three birdies in his last six holes did the trick, the most spectacular coming at the same 18th hole where Mark Roe birdied to card an opening 65 on Thursday after smashing a seven-iron into three pieces against a tree.
Warren, in the woods on the other side of the fairway, bent a second shot around a tree to within five feet of the hole and calmly tapped in.
In the play-off he impressively got up and down from beyond the 18th green to match Karlsson first time around, then thought he had blundered when his foot slipped as he struck his approach to the same target minutes later. But the ball parachuted to within 15 feet of the flag and Karlsson, after hacking around in the trees, was unable to match his par four.
Warren pocketed a cheque for €266,660 and won a priceless two-and-a-half year exemption from qualifying. He later revealed he had thrived on the cut-throat nature of the play-off.
"I actually enjoyed the pressure," he said. "I look forward to conjuring up shots in tight situations and picture myself with the trophy rather than worrying about losing it - it's something I was born with. I have been in three play-offs and won them all and there's no doubt what I achieved on the Challenge Tour helped me. Playing in that winning Walker Cup team was another key - Nick Dougherty and Graeme McDowell also played . . . that year and have gone on to win on tour."
Karlsson, who has lost three of his four play-offs, won 177,770 to jump into second place in the money list with €1,589,942. Perhaps more significantly, the victory virtually ensures his place in the Ryder Cup team at the K-Club beginning on September 22nd.
Karlsson, who required only 22 putts to compile his staggering 63 the day before, reverted to the erratic form of a first-day 75 as he battled a heavy head cold, and he looked a tired man as he saw his four-stroke advantage dwindle.
Ireland's Peter Lawrie closed with a 71 to finish joint-15th on 285, worth €20,177. David Higgins shot a final-round 73 for 290. And Michael Hoey slipped 40-odd places with a closing 78 for 293.
