Finland finish on top in World Cup Qualifier

9/28/2008

Finland’s Roope Kakko and Mikko Korhonen won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier in Poland by eight strokes to secure their ticket to China alongside Canada and Portugal.

Kakko and Korhonen carded an impressive one under par 71 in the final round foursomes at Sierra Golf Club to pull away from Wes Heffernan and Graham DeLaet of Canada, who struggled to a 77 in cold blustery conditions.
 
Portugal's Tiago Cruz and Ricardo Santos held onto their third place comfortably for the third and final ticket to the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China in November after closing with a 79.
 
Team Finland were thrilled to qualify after a superb performance in extremely tough conditions. Of only 11 birdies scored on the front nine, Finland made five of them on a day where strong wind and rain made scoring difficult.
 
Karhonen said the team's partnership was outstanding despite playing together for the first time in the alternate shot format this week.
 
The Canadians got off to a poor start on the front nine shooting double bogey on the second but rallied on the back nine to finish just five over for the day and secure their place in the World Cup line up. It will be DeLaet’s maiden trip to the World Cup and Heffernan's second having at Mission Hills Golf Club last year with Mike Weir.
 
The Portuguese team of Cruz and Santos showed their class in the tough conditions shooting 79 to remain in third place, seven shots clear of fourth place Switzerland.

Portugal’s qualification marks their first return to the World Cup since 2005 when Jose-Filipe Lima and António Sobrinho player on home soil in Vilamoura.

Leaderboard – Final - foursomes:

1.   Finland                                  64 68 64 71 267 -21     8.000 USD
      Roope KAKKO / Mikko KORHONEN

2.   Canada                                 65 67 66 77 275 -13     4.000 USD
      Graham DELAET / Wes HEFFERNAN

3.   Portugal                                 66 71 65 79 281 - 7     1.000 USD
      Tiago CRUZ / Ricardo SANTOS

4.   Switzerland                             68 73 70 77 288   E
      André BOSSERT / Martin ROMINGER

5.   Czech Republic                       65 78 72 75 290 + 2
      Jakub KUCERA / Ondrej LEBL

6.   Iceland                                  71 76 69 78 294 + 6
      Heidar BRAGASON / Bjorgvin SIGURBERGSSON

7.   Norway                                   72 75 68 83 298 +10
      Paul NILBRINK / Kristoffer REE

...   Israel                                    75 77 69 77 298 +10
      Itamar COHEN / Oren GERI

9.   Belgium                                 67 77 72 84 300 +12
      Gerald GRESSE / Laurent RICHARD

10. Poland                                   72 78 69 85 304 +16
      Jakub OSSOWSKI / Marcin STELMASIAK

11. Slovenia                                 72 81 78 83 314 +26
      Janez GRILC / Damjan MURGELJ

12. Greece                                  76 78 75 87 316  +28
      George DIAKOU / Themis GINIS

13. Croatia                                  79 85 74 85 323  +35
      Darko LJUBANOVIC / Miro RAIC

Source: European Tour