Sunday 26 June 2016 22:22, UK
Henrik Stenson lived up to his nickname of "The Iceman" on a marathon Sunday in Cologne as he overcame a final-round stutter to claim a three-shot win at the BMW International Open.
After being unable to start his third round on Saturday due to torrential rain curtailing play at noon, Stenson returned to Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof early on Sunday morning and carded a flawless 67, including three birdies over the last six holes, to earn the outright 54-hole lead.
Stenson started his final round with a birdie, but he dropped four shots in an uncertain seven-hole stretch before he regained his composure to birdie 13, 15 and 17 for the second time on the day, and a par at the last capped a 71 for a winning score of 17 under par.
None of Stenson's closest rivals were able to maintain a strong challenge over the final 18 holes despite the leader's slip-up, with Thorbjorn Olesen missing a number of fairways while Raphael Jacquelin could not build on three birdies over the first five holes of his final round after the Frenchman laboured to a third-round 72.
Stenson's power was a huge advantage in the soft and wet conditions, and he also displayed his impressive course-management skills as his morning 67 was his second consecutive round without a bogey.
The world No 7 made a confident start to his final round, but he made his first bogey in 48 holes at the fourth and, after getting the shot back with a superb downhill putt for birdie at five, he bunkered his approach to the sixth and could not get up and down.
Stenson holed a clutch par putt at the next before a similar effort on the eighth green horse-shoed out of the hole, and he dropped a fourth shot at the 10th after finding thick rough from the tee.
But he found the long 13th in two and two-putted for birdie, and a neat pitch and putt at the par-five 15th for another gain got him back to 16 under before he effectively sealed victory with a superb tee-shot to the fringe of the 17th which set up his 22nd birdie of the week.
A cast-iron par completed Stenson's 10th European Tour victory - his first since the 2014 DP World Tour Championship, and his second in this event following his win in Munich in 2006.
Darren Fichardt emerged as Stenson's biggest threat down the stretch after the veteran South African got to 14 under with birdies at 10 and 13, but he missed a good chance at 15 and then offset a birdie at 17 with a closing bogey as he returned a 69.
Fichardt's error at the last cost him outright second as Olesen also finished at 14 under despite a run of three consecutive bogeys around the turn which took him out of contention.
The young Dane did salvage a 73 with birdies at 13 and 15, while Jacquelin was a further three shots adrift on 11 under after a pair of 72s.
Sergio Garcia mounted a late charge as he got to 12 under with a faultless outward 33 followed by an eagle at the 13th, but the Spaniard got into trouble at the next hole and ran up a double-bogey six to halt his momentum.
Garcia's 69 earned him a tie for fifth on 10 under with Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who struggled to a third-round 74 which included four bogeys in five holes just before the turn, although the Thai ace sparked a comeback with three straight birdies before double-bogeys at the ninth and 16th put paid to his chances.
