MORE tales of the unexpected, especially for Perk Ulrik Johansson. A horror season was suddenly given a romantic ending when the Swede captured the Smurfit European Open at the K Club yesterday.
On yet another wind swept day at the Straffan venue, Ryder Cup player Johansson contrived to produce a birdie birdie finish for a final round 70, giving him an 11 under bar total of 277 and a one stroke winning margin over Italy's Costantino Rocca.
It was a strange sort of day. Early arrivals at the course were informed of Australian Robert Allenby's car crash on Spain's Costa del Sol (an incident which left him with a fractured sternum, ruling him out for the rest of the season), while lain Pyman's caddie, David Hogg, slipped on the 12th tee and was taken to James's Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, with a suspected broke leg.
The Irish players were also having their woes if, thankfully, avoiding personal injuries. Padraig Harrington's hopes of challenging for the £125,000 top prize effectively floundered when he bogeyed three of the opening four holes, although he still finished leading Irishman.
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