Mikael Lundberg will quite happily play the villain once again in his defence of the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity.
Going head-to-head with home hero Bernd Wiesberger in a sudden-death play-off for last year’s title, the Swede holed a brilliant 40-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole of the Diamond Country Club in Atzenbrugg to deny the partisan home crowd the chance to crown Weisberger their champion for the second time in three years.
The Swede recalls the moment when he secured a third European Tour title 12 months ago with a wry smile, vividly describing the moment the home fans realised his perfect putt had put an end to their hopes of another Austrian champion.
“It was really funny actually because when I holed the putt the crowd cheered because it was a pretty good putt from about 40 feet so I think they naturally reacted to it by cheering and applauding,” said Lundberg.
“It was only after a few seconds they then seemed to realise that putt was going to probably stop Bernd winning the tournament so there was a kind of funny silence when they realised that. But that is golf isn’t it? I mean, I didn’t hit a great tee shot but then as soon as I hit that putt I knew it had a great chance. It was just one of those putts that you know you have struck perfectly as soon you hit it. Obviously he had a chance to match it but missed from about 20 feet and it was all over.
I will happily break the crowds’ hearts again this week if it means I can win again! ~
Mikael Lundberg
Lundberg heads into this week hoping a return to a winning venue can provide the catalyst for a return to winning ways. His game is “not quite there yet but getting closer and closer” and he hopes to be inspired by his previous performances at the Diamond Country Club.
Any keen observer of The European Tour will be aware that Lundberg is a man who can recapture his confidence and form as quickly as most golfers can lose it. On top of that, Lundberg is very much a ‘horses for courses’ golfer: if he likes a certain layout then the chances are he will perform well, no matter what form he is in.
Never was that more evident than in Russia, where Lundberg’s love affair with the Moscow Country Club made him a pre-tournament favourite every year the Russian Open was staged there. Between 1997 and 2008, Lundberg played seven times and recorded the following results: 14th, 52nd, tenth, 11th, first, third and first. Impressive stuff from the 41 year old, who hopes the Diamond Country Club will have a similar effect on him this week.
He continued: “I am definitely one of those guys who can click straight away in terms of form and confidence. With me it just takes one little thought and I can latch on to it pretty quickly and all of a sudden I am confident and know I can score well.
“Even coming back here to the Diamond Country Club and playing a practice round gives me good vibes about the week. It was the same in Russia – I just loved that golf course and every time I teed it up there I just knew that I could get round there and make a score. Hopefully I can do the same here this week.”
