Joakim Lagergren delivered a performance to remember at the Indoor Golf Group Challenge, securing his second win of the 2024 Road to Mallorca in the most dramatic fashion.
The Swedish golfer clinched victory by a single stroke on home soil, sending the crowd at Vesterby Links into a frenzy on the final day.
Starting the day four shots behind fellow Swede Mikael Lindberg, Lagergren’s front nine was hardly inspiringโa level-par round that left him three strokes adrift. But like a seasoned pro, he found his rhythm on the back nine.
Birdies on the 11th and 12th gave him a glimmer of hope, though a bogey on the 14th threatened to derail his charge.
Not one to give up, Lagergren fired back with birdies on the 15th and 16th, keeping him in the hunt just two shots behind Lindberg with two holes to go.
Heading to the 18th tee, Lindberg still had the edge, sitting at 13 under despite a stumble on the par-three 17th.
But golf is a game of inches and, as fate would have it, the 54-hole leader found the rough off the tee on the last hole.
A disastrous triple bogey on 18 handed the win to Lagergren, who calmly parred his way to the title.
โIt feels amazing. To win on home soil is just a dream come true,โ said the 32-year-old.
Lagergren was quick to credit the home crowd for their unwavering support: โI had huge support out there.
My fans been having my back for my whole career when I’ve been playing my home.
Every time I’m in Sweden they’re supporting me, and pushing me through, so I love them โ they mean a lot to me.โ
Reflecting on the final holes, he added, โI felt like Mikael was just a couple too far in front all the time, and when he made his birdie on fifteen and I holed it afterwards, it was huge to not fall four behind, and the birdie on 16 was huge.
I feel sorry for Mikael, because he got a terrible lie in the rough on 18. Thatโs not how you want to win a tournament, but Iโm very happy that Iโm on top in the end.โ
This victory marks Lagergren’s second triumph of the year on the Road to Mallorca, having also won the Irish Challenge earlier this month.
Now, he’s just one win away from securing automatic promotion to the DP World Tour.
โWeโll see about that,โ Lagergren said cautiously. โObviously it would be fantastic to win another one and get my card on the DP World Tour, but I’ve got to stay humble and play it shot by shot.โ
The final leaderboard saw fellow Swede Jesper Sandborg finish in second place at eleven under par, while Lindberg shared third place at ten under par with Englishman Jack Senior.
They were followed closely by Swedenโs Rikard Karlberg and Lars Van Meijel of the Netherlands, who tied for fifth.
Lagergrenโs victory propels him to third place in the Road to Mallorca Rankings with 982 points, while Lindberg moves up to sixth.
Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen remains the man to catch, holding onto the top spot, with Englishman John Parry in second.
Next up on the Road to Mallorca is the Rosa Challenge Tour, set to take place from August 29 to September 1 at Rosa Golf Club in Poland.
