Henrik Stenson wins BMW International Open

Henrik Stenson won the BMW International Open at Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof in Germany by three shots from Darren Fichardt and Thorbjorn Olesen.

Henrik Stenson had to complete 36 holes on Sunday at Gut Laerchenhof after rain delays had affected the BMW International Open. The Swede played those holes in six-under-par to claim his 10th European Tour title.

Stenson fired a third round of 67 to take the tournament lead and he maintained it during the final round despite struggling on the front nine. After three bogeys around the turn, Stenson fell back into a tie at the top of the board with South Africa’s Darren Fichardt. But the Swede moved in front again with birdies at the 13th and the 15th holes. When he drove the green on the par-4 17th and made another birdie, the title was secure. This was his second victory in the BMW International Open – he won back in 2006.

“It was a tough one. I had to dig deep,” said Stenson. “I didn't play well on the front nine, made a couple of mistakes, got caught out by the wind a few times and missed one or two putts I should have made as well... I felt like I was starting to make a bit of a mess of it and then I came back and made the birdies on the par fives. I made some good putts closing out... I really feel like I played well in 2015 and I just couldn't get a trophy. It was a bit hard at times but you've just got to keep on trying and put yourself in position. I did that once again and this time I managed to go all the way."

3 Talking points from the BMW International Open

1 – Henrik Stenson claimed his 10th European Tour title at Gut Laerchenhof. It was a fifth top-six finish in the eight European Tour events he has contested this season. The victory came just a week after he was forced to withdraw from the second round of the U.S. Open because of injury. This was the Swede’s first European Tour victory since the 2014 DP World Tour Championship. Stenson has a remarkable record in this event – this was his eighth top-10 finish in 13 appearances.

Henrik Stenson - slow motion swing sequence:

2 – Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen went into the final round just a shot behind Stenson but he struggled over the closing 18-holes. He birdied the first hole in round four to claim a share of the lead but he struggled from that point on, dropping four shots between the 6th and the 10th. He steadied the ship somewhat on the run for home with birdies at the 13th and 15th and finished tied for second with South Africa’s Darren Fichardt. "All in all it's been a good week," he said. "Today was a little bit day and night to be honest. Played really well this morning, and lost it a little bit here in the last 18.

3 – Spain’s Sergio Garcia continued his good run of form. A week after finishing tied for 5th in the U.S. Open, the Spaniard recorded another tied 5th finish in Germany. Garcia made a hole-in-one during the second round and, in round four, he moved into contention with an eagle at the 13th. But a double bogey at very next hole ended his chances. He finished on 10-under-par, seven back of Stenson.

BMW International Open Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof, Pulheim, Germany June 23-26 Purse €2,000,000, par 72

1    Henrik Stenson (Swe)    68    65    67    71    271    €333,330 T2    Darren Fichardt (RSA)    68    69    68    69    274    €173,710 T2    Thorbjorn Olesen (Den)    67    67    67    73    274    €173,710 4    Raphael Jacquelin (Fra)    65    68    72    72    277    €100,000 T5    Sergio Garcia (Esp)    71    68    70    69    278    €77,400 T5    Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 69 64    74    71    278    €77,400 T7    David Horsey (Eng)    73    70    66    70    279    €55,000 T7    Bernd Wiesberger (Aut)    68    70    70    71    279    €55,000 T9    Robert Dinwiddie (Eng)    69    73    69    69    280    €39,000 T9    Graeme Storm (Eng)    69    70    71    70    280    €39,000 T9    Mike Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 69    69    67    75    280    €39,000 T9    Pablo Larrazabal (Esp)    68    69    72    71    280    €39,000

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage