Ilonen wins Match Play crown

Mikko Ilonen kisses the trophy after winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship

Mikko Ilonen kisses the trophy after winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship

Mikko Ilonen became the first Finnish player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship with a 3&1 victory over top seed Henrik Stenson in the final at The London Club.

Ilonen went bogey-free and carded four birdies despite the windy conditions to secure the first prize of 650,000 euros, almost double his previous biggest cheque earned by victory at the Irish Open in June.

Stenson, who had not led at any stage of his morning semi-final against George Coetzee before making a birdie on the 18th to win, claimed an early lead in the final with a birdie on the fourth.

However, the world No 5 then bogeyed the fifth and hit his tee shot into the water on the eighth, before birdies on the 10th and 12th took Ilonen three up.

Stenson, still seeking his first win since the DP World Tour Championship in November last year which meant he became the first man to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same season, refused to throw in the towel and birdied the 13th to reduce his deficit.

But after almost holing his chip from the back of the 14th green, the Swede could only look on as Ilonen holed from 12 feet for birdie to move three ahead again, this time with just four holes remaining.

Stenson fought back once more with a two-putt birdie on the par-five 15th, but was unable to birdie either of the next two holes as Ilonen - who had beaten Joost Luiten 2&1 in the semi-finals - secured the biggest win of his career.

"The game-plan was not to make any mistakes and I didn't make any," said Ilonen. "I definitely felt really comfortable going into the final and I felt I had a good chance of beating him."

Ryder Cup star Stenson admitted that he had exceeded his own expectations just by getting to the final.

"I felt I was running low on energy and I don't know where I found the energy to finish this afternoon," he said.

"I didn't play my best and was unlucky on a couple of holes but all credit to him."

In the third-place playoff, Joost Luiten of the Netherlands beat South African George Coetzee at the first extra hole.

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