Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee kept his nerve to win the Nordea Masters in the first hole of a playoff against Victor Dubuisson and Stephen Gallacher in Malmo, Sweden, on Sunday.
Thongchai, lying four shots off the lead overnight, carded a closing 65 to take the clubhouse lead with a 16-under total of 272.
He then had to wait for the last four groups to finish, with France’s Dubuisson and Britain’s Gallacher matching his score.
Photo: Reuters
On the first trip back down the 18th, Thongchai spun his third shot to within three feet and, after seeing Dubuisson and Gallacher miss lengthy birdie putts, converted to seal a sixth European Tour title.
“I worked hard today,” the Thai player said.
Joint overnight leaders Eddie Pepperell and world No. 2 Henrik Stenson’s bid faded away — Stenson bogeying the last and Pepperell finding the water to also finish with a six.
Dubuisson would have won with a birdie on 18 in regulation play, but three-putted from just off the green.
Gallacher’s chance looked to have gone when he bogeyed the 17th, but he converted from 20 feet at the next.
Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen matched Thongchai’s 65 to take fourth on 15-under, with Stenson alone in fifth, and Pepperell sharing sixth with Spain’s Alvaro Quiros and another local favorite in Robert Karlsson — whose 63 was the best round of the week.
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