Donald - carded a final-round 69 (Getty Images)
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Luke Donald cruised to his first European Tour title in the Scandinavian
Masters to enhance his claims for a Ryder Cup wild card.
Donald carded a final-round 69 for a 16-under-par total of 272 at Barseback,
five shots clear of Swedish pair Peter Hanson and Henrik Stenson.
Colin Montgomerie, furious after bogeys at the last two holes, and Ian Poulter
shared fourth place on nine under after closing rounds of 67 and 65
respectively.
Donald collected the first prize of £176,000 and two-year exemption and gave
European captain Bernhard Langer a timely reminder of his abilities ahead of the
Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills in September.
The 26-year-old Englishman is still well outside the automatic qualifying
places but is a strong contender for one of the two wild cards available to
Langer - with Montgomerie expected to receive the other when the team is
announced at the end of the month.
"This opens up a lot for me and gives my chances of making the Ryder Cup a
great boost," said Donald, whose Walker Cup record of seven wins in eight
matches could be a major factor in Langer's decision.
"I was hoping I would be in his mind before this week but this is obviously
going to help my chances of a wild card. In an ideal world I would like to play
myself into the team and this has brought me a lot closer. There is no reason
why I can't play myself into the team via the USPGA, NEC Invitational and BMW
International."
Based in Chicago after graduating from the city's Northwestern University,
Donald won his first US Tour title in 2002 in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic,
which was reduced to 54 holes by bad weather.
"I took that win but this is so much more satisfying," added Donald, who was
watched by parents Colin and Ann as he won his first event in just nine
appearances in Europe. "It gives me a lot of confidence that come Sunday and
under pressure I was able to win.
"This is very special. It's a very important win in my career. To win with my
family here means a lot. This was a great tournament with a good field so to win
is going to increase my confidence and I'm really looking forward to the USPGA
championship."
Starting the final round three shots ahead of Hanson, the former Walker Cup
star's lead was never less than two shots, although he struggled to reproduce
the form of the first three days.
A 50-foot birdie putt on the sixth steadied any nerves and after a bogey on
the eighth he crucially saved par from 15 feet on the 11th while Hanson
bogeyed.
Birdies on the 13th, again from long distance, and 14th then gave him a more
comfortable lead and he finished in style with another birdie on the 18th.
There was nothing remotely stylish about Montgomerie's finish, the Scot
finding sand on the 17th to bogey and then driving into the trees on the dogleg
18th.
He was fortunate to find a good lie but hit his approach over the green and
after a poor chip tossed his glove away in disgust, followed soon after by his
visor after the par putt also went astray.
The seven-time former European number one eventually regained his composure
enough to take the positives from his performance, and feels he is swinging as
well as he did five years ago.
"I was thinking about my swing in 1999 when I won here by nine shots and if I
could do that then I can do it now," said the 41-year-old. "And it worked, I
just made a couple of stupid errors on the last.
"I think I made 23 birdies this week (actually 21 and one eagle) and this is
a tournament I should have won. I won the last two times I was here and should
have again.
"But at last I'm beginning to see the form is coming back again. My back is
fine and I can move through the ball again for the first time in many many
years.
"You try to take the positives out of every situation and I was seven under
after 15 holes today having missed many chances and I can take that into the
USPGA."
Poulter was much happier after coming home in 31 in his 65 to boost his
chances of qualifying automatically for the Ryder Cup.
The 27-year-old, who missed out by one place three years ago, began the week
in the final qualifying position but moved up one place and will take next week
off to ensure he does not make the same mistake as last time.
"I've played seven in a row and that's way too many, I'm absolutely
exhausted," said Poulter. "I made a mistake two years ago by chasing my tail
to try to make the side.
"But if I play like I did today in the USPGA then the Ryder Cup question
could be done and dusted.
"I just have to keep playing well. I've been playing well all year. I'm not
going to miss that flight to Detroit. I will do what it takes at the USPGA and
BMW International, to miss out by a spot last time was frustrating.
"I want to make this side, it would really cap two years hard working working
on my game."
Collated scores and totals in final round: (Gbr&Irl unless stated, Par 72)
(x) denotes amateurs
272 Luke Donald 69 65 69 69 (£176,435 pds)
277 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 70 70 69, Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 66 68 71 (£91,946
each)
279 Ian Poulter 72 68 74 65, Colin Montgomerie 72 68 72 67 (£48,909 each)
280 David Lynn 72 68 69 71 (£37,052)
281 Simon Khan 70 69 72 70 (£31,759)
282 Peter Lawrie 72 74 72 64, Marcel Siem (Ger) 71 74 69 68, Adam Scott 72 71
70 69, David Howell 67 71 74 70, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 71 70 70, Jesper Parnevik
(Swe) 69 70 71 72, Steve Webster 68 74 68 72
283 Markus Brier (Aut) 70 71 71 71, Ross Fisher 71 71 70 71, Raymond Russell
72 72 68 71, Stephen Scahill (Nzl) 72 73 67 71, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 73 69 69
72
284 Soren Hansen (Den) 69 71 73 71, Nick Faldo 71 72 69 72, Paul McGinley 69
68 74 73, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 71 69 71 73
285 Greg Owen 71 75 68 71, Simon Wakefield 72 70 71 72, Jorge Berendt (Arg) 75
68 70 72, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 71 72 73, Peter Fowler (Aus) 73 69 70 73,
Christopher Hanell (Swe) 68 69 74 74, Wilhelm Schauman (Swe) 68 67 75 75
286 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 73 67 74 72, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 71 70 73 72, Damien
McGrane 72 72 70 72, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 70 73 69 74, Steven O'Hara 72
71 67 76
287 Stephen Dodd 71 72 73 71, Sven Struver (Ger) 73 73 69 72, Pierre Fulke
(Swe) 71 70 73 73, Jesus Maria Arruti (Spa) 70 72 72 73, Graeme McDowell 70 74
70 73, Robert Coles 71 71 69 76
288 Nick O'Hern (Aus) 73 69 80 66, Chris Gane 68 73 77 70, Jose Manuel Lara
(Spa) 76 70 71 71, Jamie Spence 74 72 70 72, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 70 72
74
289 Paul Broadhurst 72 73 77 67, Peter Gustafsson (Swe) 72 73 74 70, Fernando
Roca (Spa) 71 75 73 70, Mark Foster 74 71 73 71, Ian Woosnam 72 73 70 74, Robert
Karlsson (Swe) 75 70 69 75
290 Peter Baker 74 71 76 69, Philippe Lima (Fra) 76 69 76 69, Costantino Rocca
(Ita) 71 72 76 71, Johan Axgren (Swe) 72 72 75 71, Miguel Angel Martin (Spa) 70
74 74 72, Johan Skold (Swe) 77 69 71 73, Andrew Coltart 70 72 74 74, Sebastian
Fernandez (Arg) 69 74 73 74, Mark Roe 74 70 72 74, Iain Pyman 75 70 68 77
291 Wade Ormsby (Aus) 76 70 75 70, Richard Green (Aus) 74 71 74 72, Scott
Drummond 74 71 72 74
292 Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 73 72 78 69
293 Johan Edfors (Swe) 67 71 75 80
294 Matthew Blackey 72 72 75 75
296 Andrew Oldcorn 72 74 78 72, Gregory Havret (Fra) 70 74 77 75, Tony
Johnstone (Zim) 73 72 76 75
297 Henrik Nystrom (Swe) 73 73 73 78
299 Rolf Muntz (Ned) 72 74 76 77
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