Six months ago, Warwickshire's Tom Whitehouse ended up 13 shots ahead of Malaga-based Johan Edfors on Spanish soil in winning the European Tour School at San Roque.
But roles were reversed yesterday when it mattered a bit more on Whitehouse's home patch at The Belfry. While Whitehouse can feel well pleased with his best week's work as a professional golfer, in collecting more than #40,000 for finishing tied for eighth in the Quinn Direct British Masters, he was not the only one left standing by the galloping Swede.
While more experienced heads were being lost, 30-year-old Edfors kept his to shoot a final-round 70, coming through to claim his second European Tour title in two months.
That gave Edfors an 11-under-par four-round total of 277 and a one-shot victory over Gary Emerson, Stephen Gallacher and Jarmo Sandelin. It also earned him #300,000, fifth place in the European Tour Order of Merit, a likely place in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July and a possible Ryder Cup place. It was as deserved as it was unexpected.
What had been expected to prove a private final-day scrap between Paul Casey and Michael Campbell was thrown wide open when both fell apart around the turn.
Casey, the previous winner at The Belfry in the Benson & Hedges Championship three years ago, dropped four shots in three holes while US Open champion Campbell ran up a double-bogey at the ninth before dropping two more shots at the two short holes.
"Things just didn't go the right way," moaned Casey. "The five-wood on the 10th wasn't far off from being absolutely perfect.
"It was ten yards too far left,but that's the game I play and mistakes are going to happen as The Belfry is one of those courses where danger is lurking.
"I hung in there as good as I could and it wasn't good enough. The ball was just not coming off the putter very well."
After Campbell's first dropped shot, at the 12th, the fumblings of the leading duo appeared to have opened the door. Nine players were within two shots of the lead, including Whitehouse and his f ellow Midlander Paul Broadhurst.
While Broadhurst could only par in from there and Whitehouse was to drop a shot at the last, they were left standing by Edfors' sprint finish as was Darren Clarke, the Liverpool fan possibly over-whelmed by post-FA Cup final euphoria.
The big-hitting Edfors, one of the longest drivers on tour, had also won the TCL Classic in China in March but this was not only doubly more lucrative, it was also a considerably more prestigious event to win, especially considering the quality of the field.
Edfors said: "At the start of the week, I was thinking 14-under would win. Then, when I saw Casey was at 14-under after eight, I was starting to think more like 16-under would win but I just didn't think he was going to make that many mistakes. It was pretty difficult, especially on the front nine, but I just hung in there.
"Then suddenly, when I holed long putts to birdie 15 and 17, I found I'd got a two-shot lead. But, despite think-ing about all the spectacular things I've seen on television that have gone on in the past at the 18th at The Belfry, in the Ryder Cup, I still felt pretty cool."
Now he has a chance of coming under that same Ryder Cup spotlight himself at the K Club in September. That could all come down to a putting tip he was given last month in Spain.
"I've been putting as good as I have in a long time, thanks to something one of my coaches spotted and it has been a lovely feeling, standing over a putt thinking you're going to hole it," he said.
Not many can claim to have shared that feeling this week, on greens made bump-ier by the heavy rain that fell on Monday and which came again on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
But the course has been in excellent condition and it made no difference to the healthy crowds who have turned up to witness the keenly-awaited return of the Tour to the Brabazon for the first time in three years.
