Dubliner Peter Lawie saw his chances of a second European Tour title evaporate before his eyes as history repeated itself in extraordinary fashion to earn England’s Simon Dyson the KLM Open for the second time in four years.
Just as he did on the same Kennemer course in 2006, Dyson sank an 18-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden death play-off.
Last time it was to beat Australian Richard Green and this time it was to defeat Lawrie and Swede Peter Hedblom.
Dyson had been six strokes behind Hedblom with a round to play, but equaled the course record with a dazzling seven-under-par 63 for a 15-under total of 265 that matched the lowest of the European Tour season.
Lawrie led by one at that stage, but bogeyed the 16th and then Hedblom hit the flagstick with his tee shot to the 170-yard 17th and stopped two feet away.
After they had both parred the last the trio returned to the final hole, but Hedblom went over the green and bogeyed, while Lawrie was studying a five-foot par putt when Dyson struck.
It was the 31-year-old’s first title since the same event and it earned him a career-high cheque for more than €300,000, while Hedblom and Lawrie walk away with €156,000 each.
There was one great difference from three years ago, though. Dyson could not fully celebrate on that occasion because it was the day that Darren Clarke’s wife Heather lost her battle with breast cancer.
Clarke had been the defending champion this week and very nearly was involved in the play-off as well. Two birdie putts hung on the lip of the hole at the fourth and 18th, but by staying out he finished joint fifth with Welshman Jamie Donaldson one behind another Irishman, Damien McGrane, who closed with a brilliant 64.
Dyson was reminded of his first victory on the links early in the day.
“When I birdied the seventh and ninth I thought back to doing the same when I won,” said the York golfer. “Then I birdied the 12th like I did then.”
He had also rolled in a 20-footer on the 10th, but the crucial one was a 35-footer at the 17th.
“It was travelling,” he admitted. “It’s funny when you see the line you’re not thinking about the pace. That was a bonus.”
So was the par he made on the 384-yard 14th. He pushed his drive into a bad lie in the rough, but was able to take relief because of a molehill.
Kennemer will not be hosting the tournament next year — it moves back to Hilversum — and Dyson added: “It’s a shame to be honest. It’s horses for courses and this just seems to suit my eye.”
Hedblom had led by two overnight, but managed “only” a 69 and has now lost all four play-offs he has been in.
Lawrie will feel the title should have been his. He chose an iron for safety off the tee at the 473-yard 16th, but made a complete hash of it and did well in the end to drop only one shot there.
He was round in 67, but he had opened the door and Dyson stepped in — again.
Irish Open winner Shane Lowry closed with a two-under 68 for a tie of 15th spot on seven under, while Gareth Maybin and Paul McGinley were two shots further back after both shot closing 71s.
SCOREBOARD
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 70):
265Simon Dyson 67 67 68 63 (won play-off at first extra hole.), Peter Hedblom (Swe) 66 66 64 69,
Peter Lawrie65 68 65 67
266
Damien McGrane67 67 68 64
267Jamie Donaldson 66 68 66 67,
Darren Clarke65 67 67 68
268Bradley Dredge 66 67 69 66
269Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 65 66 69
270Niclas Fasth (Swe) 69 68 67 66
271Alexander Noren (Swe) 72 66 64 69, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 66 69 69 67
272Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 67 66 69 70, Barry Lane 68 68 65 71, Marcus Fraser
(Aus) 69 69 65 69
273Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 68 71 66 68, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 67 73
63, Andrew Coltart 68 69 69 67, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 67 68 71 67, Alessandro
Tadini (Ita) 68 67 66 72,
Shane Lowry66 68 71 68, Richard Green (Aus) 69 67 69
68, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 74 64 65 70
274Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 71 67 67 69, Paul Lawrie 66 68 69 71, Markus
Brier (Aut) 67 69 65 73
275Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 67 67 70 71, Richie Ramsay 69 68 66 72,
Gareth
Maybin67 68 69 71, Phillip Price 66 72 68 69, Kenneth Ferrie 66 67 67 75, David
Lynn 68 68 68 71, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 68 71 67 69, Wade Ormsby (Aus) 66 67 71
71,
Paul McGinley64 70 70 71
276Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 70 69 69 68, Garry Houston 67 70 67 72, Shiv Kapur
(Ind) 71 68 69 68, David Horsey 73 66 68 69, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 69 69 73 65,
Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 70 68 70 68, Marcus Higley 71 63 67 75, Eirik Tage
Johansen (Nor) 70 64 70 72, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 72 63 68 73
277Christian Cevaer (Fra) 70 66 67 74, Benn Barham 71 68 69 69, Mark Foster 69
68 73 67
278Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 70 66 70 72, Mark Brown (Nzl) 68 71 68 71, Simon
Khan 68 71 68 71, David Drysdale 72 65 72 69, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 65 71 74 68,
Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 70 67 72 69, Sam Little 70 67 63 78, Ross McGowan 70 67
71 70
279Chris Wood 71 68 68 72, Gary Orr 64 73 71 71, Guido Van Der Valk (Ned) 71
67 71 70
280Simon Wakefield 69 68 71 72
281Peter O'Malley (Aus) 69 70 71 71, Graeme Storm 71 67 74 69
282Callum Macaulay 66 73 71 72, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 69 69 74 70, Miles
Tunnicliff 70 69 70 73
283Sion Bebb 71 67 67 78
284Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 69 69 76 70
285Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa) 69 68 73 75, Phillip Archer 74 64 78 69
289David Dixon 72 66 81 70
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