Brilliant Bjorn makes it two in a row

The 40-year-old Dane fired a nine-under-par 62 to turn a three-stroke deficit into a four-shot win over Martin Kaymer at the Omega European Masters, the first qualifying event for next year’s Ryder Cup.

Bjorn had also been three behind with a round to go in last week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

There he was involved in a marathon five-man, five-hole play-off before coming out on top of the pile. This time he left the rest behind – Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood included – with a marvellous closing burst.

Kaymer missed a two-foot putt on the long 14th that would have taken him two in front and how Bjorn made him pay.

He was almost in water with his approach on the same hole but birdied it to draw level, made another ten-footer for eagle on the next and then put the icing on the cake with two closing birdies.

After going five under for the last five holes, he said: “The way I finished was special and it’s been an amazing two weeks.

“I started hitting my wedges so well last week and kept it going.

“At the end you think nothing can go wrong. Golf seems easy sometimes and you have to remember that when you are not playing well.”

He has had a real rollercoaster career, talking of “fighting demons” after he lost the 2003 Open from three ahead with four to play and going through another low this summer following the death of his father. But with a third win of the year – world No 1 Luke Donald is the only other player to do that –Bjorn is now back in the world’s top 30 and, of course, leads the Ryder Cup race.

Since he last played in the match nine years ago he has served as an assistant to Bernhard Langer in 2004 and Colin Montgomerie last year.

As chairman of the players’ committee he is seen as future captaincy material, but as for possibly making a return to the team in Chicago next September he said: “There’s a long, long way to go and with the talent we have it’s going to take a few more of these weeks.”

With tee times brought forward yesterday because of the threat of storms, Kaymer burst out of the pack with two eagles and two birdies in the first eight holes.

But as low cloud and rain duly arrived the German lost the magic, finishing with ten pars in a row for a 65.

Second place could be good enough to take him back up from fifth in the world to third, however, depending on results in America tomorrow.

Joint third were US Open champion McIlroy, South African Jaco Van Zyl and overnight leader Jamie Donaldson.

McIlroy was joint top after two opening birdies, but had to wait until the 14th for his next one and a 68 was never likely to be enough.

Van Zyl, last man into the event, came through from 15th with a 64, but Donaldson could manage only a 70 and now has gone 238 Tour events without a win.

Westwood also shot 70 and, having started the second in sole possession of second, that meant a disappointing sixth place finish for the world number two.

Fellow Englishman Nick Dougherty, whose opening 63 had set him up to end a miserable run of 21 successive missed cuts, fell back to 45th with a 73.

He was over par in each of the final three rounds and so the three-time winner still faces a long battle to avoid a return to the qualifying school at the end of season.

But at least he now appears on the Tour money list. His last cheque was last November.

McIlroy, playing for the first time since he hurt his arm against a tree root in the USPGA Championship, told European Tour radio: “It was a bittersweet week. Coming back off the injury I didn’t know what to expect. To get myself into contention was great and the arm felt 100 per cent healthy, which is a huge positive.

“Even if I had played well I don’t know if I would have been able to catch Thomas.”

Donaldson, still with a share of the lead with four to play, commented: “I’m quite happy really - it’s my best finish of the year.

“I did well to get it out in one over, but the back nine I played great and that’s the time when you want to play well.

“There are so many positives to take out of it. I stayed in the hunt not playing well and you can take a lot from that. I can’t possibly beat myself up over it.”