Thomas Björn overcame his own self-doubt following an 18 month spell without a victory to claim the fourth European Tour title of his career in the Sarazen World Open Championship at the magnificent PGA Golf de Cataluyna near Barcelona.
The tall, powerful Dane shot a closing four under par 68 for a 15 under par total of 273 to finish two strokes ahead of runners-up Paolo Quirici of Switzerland and Japan’s Katsuyoshi Tomori.
Björn’s last victory had come in April last year when he won the Peugeot Open de Espana, but since then a series of injuries and the birth of his first child had restricted his starts on the Tour and also his effectiveness as a regular title challenger.
However a thrilling duel with Lee Westwood in the Canon European Masters last month, where he finished second, indicated that the lean months were about to end, and Björn duly confirmed that impression with a cool and composed performance amid the glorious tree-lined Cataluyna course designed by Angel Gallardo and Neil Coles.
The spectacular new venue met with the unanimous approval of the players, and none more so than Björn, who compiled rounds of 66, 69, 70 and 68 to lift the first prize of 93,320 euro (£66,657 ).
That allowed him to move into the top 20 in the Volvo Order of Merit at No. 14, so guaranteeing a place in the lucrative World Golf Championships-American Express Championship at Valderrama.
“It’s been a long time” he admitted. “You start doubting yourself a little bit; doubting if you can win again. It was very enjoyable to do that and I’m glad it happened this week.
“The most important thing was to get into the top 20 on the Volvo Order of Merit to play at Valderrama and I’ve done that. Now I want to move back into the top 50 in the World Rankings so that I can be involved in the majors and the other big money tournaments.”
The Sarazen World Open, being played in Europe for the first time, proved to be a highly successful tournament for Quirici, who matched Björn’s final round 68 but two bogeys to finish cost him a winning opportunity.
He said: “I felt I had a chance of winning but Thomas is a very strong player and I guessed that he would stay up there at the top. However I was very pleased with my finish after changing to a new putter three weeks ago.”
Björn, Tomori and Quirici were locked together early in the back nine, but the Dane switched on the power with birdies at the 12th and 13th to move ahead. Tomori bogeyed the 13th and 16th to drop back after making a bold bid to emulate Isao Aoki, the only Japanese golfer to win on the European Tour.
Fourth place went to first round leader Francisco Cea of Spain. His opening 65 set the new course record for PGA Golf de Cataluyna and he closed with a fine 69 to finish just behind the top three.
There were also some sterling performances among the players seeking to retain their cards for 2000. Spain’s Domingo Hospital, who threatened the lead on Saturday, moved into the top 115 in 113th position after claiming a share of eighth place.
Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, who needed a top ten finish in order to play in this week’s Belgacom Open and prolong his bid to keep his playing privileges, birdied two of the final four holes for 280 and a tie for eighth with Hospital. He moved up four places on the Volvo Order of Merit to 118th and now has the opportunity to make his card safe at Royal Zoute this week.
