A magnificent pitch in for eagle three on the penultimate hole helped Fredrik Jacobson win the Algarve Open de Portugal title at Vale do Lobo, the 28 year old Swede’s second win of the 2003 season on The European Tour International Schedule.
Last November Jacobson took the Omega Hong Kong Open title with a 16 under par total of 260 but this time five under par 283 was good enough on the demanding Algarve course to win the €208,330 (£142, 541) first prize by a solitary shot to move him to fifth on the Volvo Order of Merit with €324,626 (£222,112).
Three players tied for second place on 284 after an enthralling final day which saw the destiny of the trophy see-saw for most of the afternoon until Jacobson’s telling thrust on the 526 yard par five 17th, England’s Brian Davis and the Welsh duo of Jamie Donaldson and Bradley Dredge, while another Englishman Greg Owen took fifth on 285.
But it proved to be Jacobson’s day, and the Swede had his accuracy around the greens to thank for his success, not only pitching in at the 17th, but also at the first for birdie and at the third for bogey after his drive had flown out of bounds.
To the turn in one over par 38, Jacobson slipped out of the one shot lead he had held going into the final day and when he bogeyed the 12th as well, his chance seemed to be disappearing.
But he showed guts to hole a brave putt for par on the tough 14th before holing from 15 feet for a birdie on the 15th to rekindle his challenge before events at the 17th proved decisive. It meant he could even afford a bogey five at the last after his drive had found the trees, and still win.
Joint runner-up Dredge looked like he might repeat his success of three weeks ago in the Madeira Island Open, but despite a bold and battling 68, it was not to be.
“I didn’t play all that well this week to be honest but I scrambled well and I’m pleased with that,” he said. “The win in Madeira has definitely helped my confidence, it helped me get the monkey off my back and I feel I am now starting to become the player I want to be.”
Fellow countryman Donaldson matched Dredge’s 68, putting together one of the most solid 18 holes of the last round, dropping only two shots and picking up six birdies in total, including four in five holes from the fourth.
“I have been playing well all week so today I just wanted to try and keep that going and try to get into a good rhythm and not to try and force anything and I think I managed that,” he said. “I tried to go out and enjoy myself today and I don’t think I could have done any better than I did.”
Davis matched Jacobson’s 72 in the final round but might have forced a play-off if he had holed his bunker shot for birdie on the last, the ball landing a mere 12 inches from the pin.
“I struggled a bit on the greens today and I think that cost me the chance of the tournament,” he said. “But I made a couple of swing changes before this week so to finish second is pretty good and I was pleased the way I hung in there when the going got tough.”
