By Noel O'Reilly
02/07/00: Patrik Sjoland emerged victorious this evening after a fascinating, and often bizarre climax to the Murphy’s Irish Open at Ballybunion. The 29-year-old Swede has only played twice since April having taken some time off after recently becoming a father for the first time.
He failed to make the cut in both events he entered but arrived here in scintillating form and secured his first win on the European Tour since 1998.
At the start of play it was Dutchman Rolf Muntz who held the outright lead, with Sjoland and Sergio Garcia his nearest challengers. But Garcia met with disaster and Muntz was unable to build upon his earlier success, taking two bogeys in his first three holes, before eventually finishing four shots adrift.
That left Sjoland to battle it out with fellow Swede and friend Fredrik Jacobson at the top of the leaderboard.
And it must have been Jacobson, who has had to endure a run of finishing tied for fourth, third and outright second in recent events, who thought that he was going to complete the sequence and secure his debut tour victory.
After a steady round he found himself first catching, then overtaking his playing partner Sjoland as he moved onto 14 under par at the 15th. He matched Sjokand at the par 3 next to hold a slender one stroke lead with two to play.
But it was the way that Sjoland holed his par saving putt from all of 18ft that made all the difference. Instead of a two shot cushion, Jacobson still had it all to do as he struggled to hold his nerve.
Looking down towards the grandstands in the distance from the 17th tee box, Jacobson allowed the pressure to get to him and buckled. Not so Sjoland. Whilst Jacobson pulled his shot into the heavy rough and proceeded to stay there, reaching the green having not touched the fairway in four, Sjoland applied the pressure.
A solid drive allowed him to reach the green comfortably in three and sink a birdie putt. Jacobson, who holed in six, was broken. The two-shot swing left Sjoland with his nose in front going down the last, another par 5, and again Jacobson folded.
This time he carved it badly out to the right, almost ending up on the road. The ball lay heavily buried at the base of the fence and Jacobson was forced to take a penalty drop.
That allowed Sjoland the comfort zone he needed, and he made his way onto the green receiving the accolades of a champion. He made his par with ease, securing victory and the £200,000 first prize.
Jacobson, a tall recognisable character with a fresh face and a shock of spiky hair, will have understandably been devastated after watching Sjoland accept the Waterford Crystal trophy, but Sergio Garcia must have been disgusted with his own performance.
Two-shots off the pace as he teed off this afternoon he shot a of 77, six over par to finish well down the field. The defending champion had been threatening to blitz all comers but the expected final day heroics, much like the wind, never materialised.
Instead we witnessed a round containing one triple bogey, one double bogey and four bogeys. He leaves Ballybunion having relinquished his first professional title in the meekest of fashions.
