Holland’s Joost Luiten shrugged off a shaky start and a one-hour weather delay to claim his second European Tour title in the Lyoness Open in Austria.
Luiten carded a closing 71 at Diamond Country Club to finish 17 under par and win by two shots from Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, who birdied the 18th for a 68 to claim second ahead of China’s Liang Wenchong (66) and France’s Romain Wattel (69).
Defending champion Bernd Wiesberger finished in a share of 14th after a bogey on the 18th in his 69. Luiten’s three-shot lead was reduced to one when he three-putted the opening hole and playing partner Jorge Campillo made birdie.
A birdie on the second quickly repaired the damage but Luiten’s lead was back to one again when Wattel carded his fourth birdie of the day at the sixth.
Luiten responded with a two-putt birdie on the par-five seventh and when Wattel failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the ninth, the gap was back to three shots.
Wattel three-putted the 12th, only to make exactly the same mistake himself on the 11th and with Liang making a birdie on the 15th and Bjorn picking up shots on the 10th and 12th, they were just two shots back.
Play was suspended due to the threat of lightning with Luiten on the 14th tee, but he showed no ill effects when it resumed and struck the key blow on the 16th, where his approach almost span back into the hole and set up an easy birdie.
Scotsman Callum Macaulay had threatened the leaderboard after opening rounds of two off the lead but a closing round 81 saw him finish on 290 19 shots behind Luiten.
Top performing Scot was Craig Lee, whose 69 on Saturday saw him finish nine off the lead and three ahead of Alastair Forsyth, who scored a 75.
David Drysale’s 75 saw him finish one further back while Scott Henry carded a final round 73 to end up one off Macaulay.