Kjeldsen claims third title

Andalucia Open:After only one win in his first 309 European Tour events, Dane Soren Kjeldsen made it two in his last nine in Seville. Four months after capturing the Volvo Masters, the diminutive 33-year-old returned to Spain and triumphed in the Andalucian Open by three strokes from Scotland's David Drysdale.

It was far closer than that suggests, however. Level with three to play, Kjeldsen went into the lake with his second shot to the long 16th and had to make an 18-footer to stay on terms.

He then holed from even further for a brilliant two at the 226-yard 17th and, with Drysdale failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker, there was a two-shot gap coming to the last.

The Edinburgh golfer, third in Johannesburg in January, was trying for his first Tour victory in 166 starts but, after finding more sand with his closing drive, he hit his second into the water and double-bogeyed.

“I’m a bit gutted about that,” said Drysdale, who closed with a 74 for 11-under-par. “It was quite a good battle and it’s just a shame not to hit any decent shots when I really needed to.

“I hit poor tee shots on 16, 17 and 18. When you have to hit the fairways, I started missing them.”

After 10 visits to the qualifying school, however, his runners-up cheque for just over €112,000 should spare him a return at the end of the season.

Kjeldsen, who three-putted the last for bogey, picked up €170,000 and now heads to Augusta for his Masters debut at his highest-ever position in the world - just outside the top 40.

He qualified for Augusta by finishing last year 50th in the world rankings - by one hundredth of a point.

“I was told I was in by a guy who writes a website in Denmark, then he called again to say that he had it wrong and if Richard Sterne won in South Africa I would be 51st,” he said. “I watched him make tons of birdies on the back nine, then win in a play-off, so went on a 10-mile run on the beach screaming and shouting.

“I came back, settled down, went to bed and then the same guy rang at midnight to say he had it wrong and I was in.

“I was completely drained but it’s a dream to play there and I already have the invitation framed.”

His closing 72 was 10 more than his career-best, course-record third round but it was much windier and colder and there was some rain to contend with, too.

It became a two-horse race when Scot Alastair Forsyth and Welshman Rhys Davies, three behind at the time, took seven and six respectively on the 428-yard 14th.

That allowed England’s Graeme Storm and Italian Francesco Molinari to share third place on 10 under but Colin Montgomerie, second after his opening 67, finished his 500th Tour event as a professional down in 31st spot and unhappy about the number of mental mistakes he made.

He will not want to make any as Ryder Cup captain, of course.