The overnight leader from Finland was never in any danger of losing his grasp on top spot after a very solid final day.
After a glorious four days of golf in Cork, it is Finn Mikko Ilonen who walks away with the Waterford Crystal trophy and a cheque for €333,333. The world No 63 led almost from wire-to-wire at Fota Island after a 64 on Thursday put him in the driving seat.
Overnight he held a one-shot lead over England’s David Willett and a two-shot lead over home favourite Graeme McDowell. But neither of the two could challenge the Finn, who played practically perfect golf, with two birdies and 15 pars. Only a bogey on the last, when the win was in the bag, blotted his scorecard.
The chasers couldn’t match that. Willett went around in Even while McDowell never got going either, also shooting a level par 71. The biggest threat to the winner came from Edoarda Molinari, who nabbed three birdies in the final six holes to sign for a 67 and a total of -12, one shot short.
Round of the day went to Ross Fisher, who shot a sparkling 65 while Ireland’s Michael Hoey made it into the Top 10 after he shot brilliant 66 to finish on -9.
Padraig Harrington had a better day than yesterday, notching a steady 69 to finish on -8, but he was simply too far back to challenge Ilonen.
