(Reuters) - Mads Vibe-Hastrup became the latest Danish winner on The European Tour when he took the Open de Madrid Valle Romano title on by three strokes at the Real Sociedad Hipica Española Club de Campo.
A closing five under par 67 for a 16 under par four round total of 272 left Vibe-Hastrup ahead of home favourite Alejandro Cañizares, who fired a final round 68 to finish three strokes behind Vibe-Hastrup.
Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik, the leader for the first three rounds, lost his victory chance with a quintuple bogey nine on the fifth hole. Vancsik was two shots ahead of the field at the time but never recovered from his mishap and had to settle for third place on 12 under with a 73.
Northern Irish teenager Rory McIlroy's attempt to be the youngest European Tour winner will have to wait at least another week as the 18 year old took fourth place alongside Frenchman Grégory Bourdy.
By following compatriots Anders and Søren Hansen into the 2007 winner’s enclosure, 29-year-old Vibe-Hastrup became the 17th first time winner on The European Tour International Schedule this season.
After Vancsik perished on the fifth by tangling with heavy rough in a gulley, Vibe-Hastrup, two behind the Argentine overnight, took a firm hold with three birdies in four holes from the eighth.
Cañizares stayed in touch with him until missing a short putt to bogey the short 17th, shortly after Vibe-Hastrup produced a gem of an approach to three feet to birdie the 16th and effectively end the contest.
Vibe-Hastrup agreed that Vancsik's misfortune at the fifth opened the way to his victory but by no means meant his job was done.
"I still had to play a lot of golf from there," said the Dane. “ I was just trying to play my own game. It was the same when we started the round. He made a big number, but I just though, okay, that’s his problem and I don’t have to worry about that, just about myself.
“There was still a lot of golf to play at that point, but it was obviously good for me to take the lead at that point. But my mantra of the day was to play my own game.”
Having watched the Hansens win this year and with Thomas Björn dominating golfing headlines at home for many years, Vibe-Hastrup was glad to be stepping out of the shadow of his countrymen.
"It's very difficult to follow performances like Anders and Søren’s so I am very pleased to have done what I've done," added Vibe-Hastrup.
Cañizares, son of former Ryder Cup player Jose Maria, closed to within a shot of Vibe-Hastrup when he birdied the long 16th but a faltering finish ended his hopes of adding to his 2006 Russian Open success.
McIlroy, adding a fourth place to the previous week's third spot in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship moves on to next week's Portugal Masters for his fourth event as a professional, where he can still become the Tour's youngest winner.
