Hanell gains maiden European Tour victory

Sweden's Christopher Hanell came from four strokes behind to win the Madeira Island Open by one shot on Sunday after a costly mistake by Brad Kennedy robbed the Australian of the chance of a playoff.

Kennedy mistakenly signed for an eight on the final hole earlier in the day in the third round when he had only taken seven, and missed a playoff with Hanell by that one shot.

Hanell's four-under-par 284 total after a fourth round one-under-par 71 earned him first prize by a stroke from Kennedy, fellow Swede Steven Jeppesen and American Rob Rashell.

On a day of battering winds and squalls Hanell took the first prize but 29-year-old Queenslander Kennedy earned the sympathy as he settled for his second runner-up spot of the year after also finishing second in last month's Malaysian Open.

He led the first round with a 62, one stroke off the Santo da Serra course record, was then just a stroke off the second round lead and fought back from a third round 80, including his eight at the last which dropped him five strokes off the lead.

Kennedy thought he had run up a penalty stroke taking two drops at the 18th after driving into ground under repair and watching the wind blow his ball downhill on a path before he could play it. He went back to the tee with his ball unplayable.

Then the Sanctuary Cove professional, a club mate of compatriot Adam Scott, the overnight leader at The Players Championship in Miami, bogeyed his nemesis hole 18 in the final round after finding a bunker and missed a six-foot par save.

"I probably should have hit the one on the path quickly before the wind got at it," said Kennedy. "Counting back I thought I had taken eight. I certainly should have taken more time. "I just have to try and learn from this -- I don't want to take the hole with me, that's for sure."

Hanell's maiden victory was clinched with a birdie on the short 17th in a card that contained only one blemish on a day when most scores billowed up in near-unplayable conditions.

The 30-year-old Arizona-based Swede went through the yoga routines he began last November at Tour school to aid his back problems while he waited to see if he would be in a playoff.

He was sympathetic to Kennedy, having suffered the delays and tiring schedule the bad weather had caused the players, but said: "It's tough to concentrate. I played 27 holes yesterday and 27 today, so I'm pretty exhausted.

"He had plenty of time to make it up but what do you say?"

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