Great Dane wins Irish Open
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Dane Soren Kjeldsen kept his cool to claim his fourth European Tour victory – the Irish Open – in dramatic fashion at windswept Royal County Down this afternoon.
The delighted 40-years-old came up trumps at the first play-off hole after finishing -2 alongside England’s Tom Pepperell and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.
The trio played the par-5 18th to decide the winner and it was Kjeldsen who emerged victorious, being the only player to record a birdie.
It was the Dane’s first win in six barren years and he also secured a place in the Open Championship in July, along with Pepperell and Tyrrell Hatton from England, who ended one shot adrift.
Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello joined Hatton on -1, but Hatton sealed one of the three St Andrews places on offer owing to his superior world ranking.
Kjeldsen collected the £294,000 first prize after holding his nerve in the windy conditions and among the first to congratulate him was event host, world no.1 Rory McIlroy who sadly missed the cut.
