Johansson steals in to snatch title from Rocca

EVEN the new champion couldn't find any logic to explain his feat, a rather unlikely European Tour victory achieved in stealth like fashion. Per Ulrik Johansson, who had wondered if it was worth his while turning up at all after missing the cut in his previous two tournaments reaped rich dividends for his own self belief when snatching the Smurfit European Open title at The K Club yesterday.

As observers sensed a touch of deja vu and primed themselves for a probable play of, the finale turned out to be something of a damp squib: Costantino Rocca, playing in the last two ball, failed to muster the necessary birdie at the 18th hole (which had already yielded 37 birdies and three eagles in the final round) to force a sudden death shoot out and, so, handed the Swede victory without the need for any further drama.

"I looked at the leaderboards all around the course but never really felt I was in contention," claimed Johansson, who produced a birdie birdie finish for a final round 70, leaving him on 11 under par 277. It gave him a one stroke winning margin over his Ryder Cup colleague Rocca, with Andrew Colt art and Roger Chapman sharing third place a shot further back.

For Padraig Harrington - and, indeed, the other Irish players - it was a disappointing day. "I just couldn't get the pace of the greens," said the 25 year old Dubliner, who shot 74 to finish in tied 10th position on five under par 283. If he could take any solace, it was the fact that, with the season's end approaching, he edged ahead of Raymond Russell in the race for the Rookie of the Year award.

Johansson has been down that path before. In his first year on the tour back in 1991, he captured that same Sir Henry Cotton award which Harrington is chasing. Yet, in this post Ryder Cup year, the 29 year old American educated Swede has struggled - until now - to hit form, languishing in 90th place in the Volvo rankings prior to this return visit, 12 months on, to the Arnold Palmer designed course.

However, yesterday's win earned Johansson his biggest ever pay day - a cheque for £125,000 - which catapulted him up to 25th in the latest Order of Merit. And, intriguingly, it also pushed him up to fifth place in the Ryder Cup table.

"I didn't know if I should come here or not, but heard a couple of weeks ago that the greens were much improved," said Johansson. "This sport can be tough sometimes. You just can't give up so easily, though. It's funny, when I won the Czech Open a couple of years ago, I nearly wasn't going there either. Maybe that says something about my frame of mind; perhaps I'm inclined to put too much pressure on myself and, when I don't expect too much, I achieve most."

Two successive missed cuts - at the Lancome Trophy and the Loch Lomond Invitational - brought his number of free weekends to eight in just 19 tournaments this season. It gave him a new target. "I've played the Volvo Masters every year since turning pro, and I didn't want to miss out this year. Although my confidence was low, I decided to play in everything I could to the end of the season in an attempt to make it to Valderrama," he said.

Johansson hit the jackpot yesterday, even if he was more like a burglar than someone invited to the party. For much of the day, Rocca and his playing partner Paul Broadhurst had seemed the most likely lads to succeed, with occasional intrusions from Coltart and Miguel Angel Martin.

Broadhurst, indeed, chipped in at the first for an eagle to move to 12 under par but, thereafter, it was something of a struggle and a double bogey five at the 12th where his tee shot found the lake guarding the green, effectively ended the Englishman's challenge.

Harrington's challenge had concluded somewhat earlier. The 25 year old Dubliner's drive at the first found a patch of water it was a bit squidgy, but I didn't really think it was casual water until after I hit it," he said - and his mishit second finished behind a tree. He proceeded to bogey the first, and then three putted the third and fourth for further bogeys to slip away.

"I've enjoyed the week, although today was obviously a disappointment. I just couldn't get the pace of the greens," said Harrington. "I will definitely play in the German Masters next week because I really want to win that Rookie of the Year award."

Elsewhere, Roger Chapman, who covered the back nine in five under par 31, including birdies at the 17th and 18th, shot up the leaderboard to finish on nine under par 279, while Thomas Bjorn - winner in Loch Lomond last week - shot a final round 68 for 281 to confirm his arrival as a rival to Harrington and Russell in the rookie contest.

Increasingly, though, it was a battle between Johansson and Rocca; with the pendulum seeming to swing in the Italian's direction when he birdied the 13th to move to 10 under par. However, the Italian failed to garner another birdie over the finishing stretch, while Johansson finished in fine style. The Swede, in the match ahead of Rocca, hit a nine iron to 10 feet and sank the putt for birdie at the 17th and, then, hit a four iron approach to 40 feet at the 18th, narrowly missed the eagle putt and tapped in for birdie.

Even then, Johansson's mind was on a probable play off - and he fully expected Rocca to birdie the last. However, in contrast to the previous three days, the wind had shifted approximately 20 degrees to a south westerly direction and that affected Rocca's tee shot. He finished up in the left rough, through the fairway, could only lay up and, after hitting his third to 40 feet, failed to grab the necessary birdie. It was Johansson's day.