Sunday 19 October 2014 15:56, UK
Henrik Stenson of Sweden will play Finland’s Mikko Ilonen in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship.
Top-seeded Stenson stroked home a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to claim a 1up victory over George Coetzee in his semi-final, while Ilonen defeated Joost Luiten 2&1 in the other.
Stenson was never ahead against Coetzee and fell behind a total of four times before coming up with his clutch putt at the death to seal victory.
The Swede set the tone for what was an indifferent performance on the front nine by hitting two shots into the water at the par-five first hole.
Having inevitably lost that one, he quickly fell two behind as Coetzee produced a birdie at the second to take control of the match.
Stenson would then birdie both of the opening par-threes, the fourth and eighth, to restore parity, only to fall behind again following a Coetzee birdie at the ninth.
But the South African was unable to hold on to his lead, losing the very next hole and then suffered the same fate having won the 12th and 14th.
The pair were still level heading down the par-five 18th and left themselves similar length birdie putts, but, having seen his putt finish agonisingly on the lip, Coetzee could only watch on as his rival found the cup to clinch victory.
Ilonen beat an off-form Luiten who had been the only man to boast a one hundred percent record throughout the week.
Birdies on the first and seventh took the Finn two up, but a tee shot into the water on the eighth and a bogey on the 11th allowed Luiten to draw level despite having recorded 11 straight pars.
The Dutchman managed his only birdie of the contest to take the lead on the 13th, but then promptly three-putted the next to let his rival get back on terms.
Ilonen was lucky to narrowly clear the water with his approach to the 15th but took full advantage of his good fortune, holing from 25 feet for a birdie before Luiten missed from half the distance.
And another lengthy birdie putt on the 17th secured the win for Irish Open champion Ilonen, who admitted afterwards that neither player had been at their best.
"That really could have gone either way," Ilonen said. "We did not play our best and I think it was the early start for the first time this week that put us off a little bit. We were still asleep. I managed to make two long putts and that was the difference."
