Ilonen profits as Kaymer suffers final-hole agony

Ilonen, who won the Indonesia Open in February, birdied the par-three 18th hole at Arlandastad to join Martin Kaymer on six under par as the young German looked on from the tee.

Kaymer then missed the green with his approach and was unable to save par, his weak chip failing to climb the steep slope up to the green and rolling halfway back down. The resulting double-bogey five dropped him back into a share of second place on four under with French pair Jean-Baptiste Gonnet and Christian Cevaer, local favourite Peter Hedblom and England's Nick Dougherty.

Ilonen, who collected the first prize of 180,000, looked to have blown his chances when he double bogeyed the par-three 16th after finding water with his tee shot. But the 2000 British amateur champion shrugged off missing a short birdie putt on the next to hole from five feet on the 18th for a closing 68 and it was Kaymer who eventually cracked under the pressure.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Ilonen. "If I had to pick one tournament to win, alongside the majors, it would be this one. You all saw the support we get from the crowds, it's something we don't get every week and I hope some other tournaments can learn from this. It's unbelievable for the players to be out there."

Three behind Kaymer and Kingston going into the final round, Ilonen led by one after a birdie on the 15th, but promptly found water on the next and, after donning his waterproofs, could only splash the ball out a few feet.

It rolled back almost into the water again and, from there, the 27-year-old chipped to five feet and missed the bogey putt. Asked if he thought his chance had gone, Ilonen said: "No, I knew Martin still had to play the 16th and you can make a bogey there in a heartbeat. It's the first time I've hit the 18th green all week, including a couple of attempts in the practice rounds."

Kaymer won two tournaments on the Challenge Tour last year, but has now twice failed to convert winning positions on the European Tour.

The 22-year-old shared the lead going into the final round of the Wales Open before fading to 14th with a one-over-par 70 at Celtic Manor, and finished with a 73, three over, yesterday.

"I'm very disappointed, especially with my play over the first five holes when I made two bogeys," he said. "That really wasn't the start I wanted and after that it was always a bit of a battle. It's another tournament where I think I have learnt a lot about myself."

Dougherty's second place was his seventh top 10 of the season but he never threatened to claim his second European Tour win. Starting the day three off the lead, the 25-year-old from Liverpool bogeyed the second and effectively saw his chances end with another dropped shot on the 13th.

Paul Broadhurst had hoped to mark the premature end to his season with victory, but could only manage a closing 71 for a share of seventh place.

The 42-year-old's wife, Lorraine, will undergo surgery next week and Broadhurst will take a break to look after her and their four children. A third-round 64 put the former Ryder Cup player in contention, but birdies at the sixth and 11th were negated by three bogeys.

• Walker Cup player Lloyd Saltman (Craigielaw), set to turn pro after the match against the United States at Royal County Down from 8-9 September, is listed among the amateur invitations in the field for this week's European Tour event, the KLM Open at Kennermer Golf & Country Club in the Netherlands, starting on Thursday.