Mikko Ilonen becomes first Finnish golfer to win European Tour event

One-stroke maiden victory in weather-affected Indonesian Open

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Finnish pro golfer Mikko Ilonen enjoyed a very good week in Jakarta and made a little piece of Finnish sporting history at the same time, overcoming not only his fellow competitors but also the thundery weather and monsoon rains to take the Indonesia Open and notch up his maiden win on the European Tour.
      Ilonen is the first Finnish man to win a European Tour title. Minea Blomqvist recorded a win on the Ladies European Tour circuit in 2004 and her example was matched by Riikka Hakkarainen in 2006, but until now the closest the men have got was Ilonen's own 3rd place finish in the 2002 Welsh Open. He was also a very creditable 9th in The Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in his rookie pro season in 2001.
     
Ilonen was never out of the top two in the clubhouse during the four days in Jakarta, and he eventually won by a stroke with a 9-under score of 275 (66 - 68 - 71 - 70).
      He was never headed on the final day, but had a scare on the 17th when he found rough to the side of the green. However, a superb recovery shot allowed him to remain on 10 under, and this save was to prove vital at the 18th, as the 27-year-old missed a short putt for par but still holed out for bogey to claim the trophy outright.
      It was a long and oft-interrupted competition, as the leading groups were repeatedly called off the course for lightning. Ilonen had to complete both his Friday and Saturday rounds early in the morning of the following day, and Sunday's play was also interrupted for two hours after the leaders had reached the 14th hole.
      Clearly the breaks and the waiting did no harm to Ilonen's concentration, and he actually asserted that he played better after returning to the course each time.
     
The turning point in the tournament probably came in the third round, where Ilonen - who was in the final group after leading at halfway - had a disastrous start and clocked four bogies in the first ten holes to slip to four under.
      He then eagled the 13th and birdied the 14th to put himself back into contention, and a birdie at the last (played just after dawn on Sunday morning) gave him a par 71 and a continued share of the lead.
      In his final round he had three birdies and two bogies, and held off the challenge of joint overnight leader Frankie Minoza of The Philippines (71), Shiv Kapur of India (67), and Australian rookie Andrew Tampion (69), who all finished on 276.
     
The win carries a cash prize of EUR 134,500, the biggest pot of Ilonen's career to date, but more important than this is that fact that victory in a Tour event (the Indonesia Open became part of the European Tour international schedule in 2005, and is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour) brings with it exemption from having to qualify for the European Tour for the next two years.
      The European Tour is the world's second-richest golf circuit after the PGA Tour.
     
Exemption is a major plus, since in recent years Ilonen has had to struggle towards the end of each season to amass the required number of merit points to secure his continued involvement on the European Tour.
      In 2005 he failed to retain his tour card, largely as a result of difficulties with his putting, and last season he played the bulk of the time on the Challenge Tour circuit.
      However, he managed to qualify his way to a place in The Open Championship - played at Hoylake, the scene of his breakthrough victory in the prestigious Amateur Championship in 2000 - and he took full advantage by finishing 16th. With the fat cheque from this and with a couple of other good late-season results under his belt from "wild-card" European Tour appearances, Ilonen managed to get back on the roster for 2007.
     
Ilonen has started brightly this year, and the win in Indonesia was immediately preceded by 7th place in the Maybank Malaysian Open.
      His 2007 earnings to date of EUR 158,801 put him in 24th place on the ranking lists.
      His next outing will be at the USD 2.44 million Johnnie Walker Classic in Phuket, Thailand, starting on March 1st.
     
Sunday's win in Jakarta will also provide an invaluable boost for Finnish golf in general, as Ilonen commented after collecting his trophy: "I think it is a big thing for Finnish golf. We've had two wins on the Ladies European, some on the Challenge Tour, but none on the European Tour. It is a very special thing for me to be the first one and I'm starting to get some press time again."
      "It is really important to be in the media to boost golf back home. Golf is growing in Finland, but I think it's growing a bit slowly. Hopefully I can help it by getting positive media, which should help get more golfers back home and maybe some good golf courses as well," commented Ilonen.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Mikko Ilonen continues to rewrite Finnish golf history (23.7.2001)

Links:
  European Tour: Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesian Open
  Mikko Ilonen (European Tour)

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