Two
months after the disappointment of narrowly failing to qualify for Europe's Ryder
Cup team, Robert Karlsson returned to the continent in triumph by winning the
Belgian Open on Sunday.
The
30-year-old Swede, fresh from a spell on the U.S. Tour, mastered high wind and
rain squalls to collect his third career victory on the European Tour.
Karlsson shot a closing five-under-par 66 to win by one stroke with a 12-under
total of 272. Briton Jamie Spence, who carded a 67, and South African Retief Goosen,
with a 70, were joint second.
Four birdies in five holes around the turn and a better finish than his arch-rival
Goosen earned Karlsson the $150,000 first prize for his first European win
since the 1997 BMW International Open.
It was at that corresponding tournament this year that Karlsson reached his lowest
ebb, despite having the best season of his eight-year career.
His bid to get into Europe's automatic top 10 qualifying spots for the Ryder Cup
the following month ended agonisingly just one place short.
Then the 11th-placed Swede had to face the disappointment of 12th-placed Andrew
Coltart being preferred to him for the wild card by European captain Mark James.
Soon after, Karlsson left
for America, and the Belgian event was his first week back on the European Tour.
Overnight, Karlsson was tied
for the lead in the unfinished third round with Goosen and fellow Swede Per Ulrik
Johansson but he seized the advantage on his own when he returned on Sunday morning.
However, two late bogeys
left him three shots behind second round leader Goosen.
By mid-afternoon, with his birdie run in the middle of the final round, Karlsson
had regained the lead.
A
birdie on the long 17th finally proved to be the winning shot for Karlsson as
Goosen failed in his birdie attempt at the same hole.
"I
came to this tournament really fresh after three events in the States and really
fired up," said Karlsson.
"Apart
from playing in America, where I did reasonably well, I turned down the Dunhill
Cup (team tournament) to rest and I didn't touch my clubs for a long time."
Karlsson played the first two rounds in Belgium with Ryder Cup captain James.
"It was a bit tense, especially
the first few holes," the Swede said. "But it was a difficult decision for him.
I was obviously very, very disappointed, but I guess I'd have picked Bernhard
Langer if it had been me.
"Anyway,
this definitely makes up for it. Probably if I'd played Ryder Cup I wouldn't have
been fresh here to win."
