Johnson grabs dramatic win

Swede Richard S Johnson rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to beat Argentina's Rafa Echenique by a shot in a thrilling climax to the Scandinavian Masters.

Johnson is just the second home winner of the event in the last 12 years and his late heroics prompted an enormous roar from the gallery at a soaking Bro Hof Slott, as he claimed the £223,689 first prize and his second European Tour title.

Italian Edoardo Molinari also birdied the last with a 20-footer to be third on nine under, while Open champion Louis Oosthuizen finished joint fourth a week after his St Andrews triumph.

With a play-off looming, the 33-year-old Johnson looked to have played safe with his approach to to the 407-yard last.

But months of putting woes in America - he is now based there, but has not had a single top-30 finish since February - were forgotten as he took his second European Tour title eight years after his first.

Sweetest

"It's one of the sweetest things I've ever done," said Johnson, whose regular caddie Lance Ten Broeck opted to play in the British Senior Open this week and missed the cut. "Just to come up the 17th and 18th is magical.

"This is a huge tournament to win for a Swede and I'm speechless right now. It's epic."

Echenique won the Tour's "Shot of the Year" for a closing albatross in Germany last season, but he finished runner-up in that event as well and this

was his third second place.

But after missing the cut in his last seven starts, the 29-year-old had a lot of positives to take from the week.

Molinari, winner of the Scottish Open two weeks ago, took another step towards a Ryder Cup debut - possibly alongside his brother Francesco.

That left Oosthuizen in a tie for fourth with Australian Brett Rumford and New Zealander Mark Brown.

"I didn't play well," admitted Oosthuizen after his 73. "I didn't drive well and it put everything under pressure.

Happy

"I had to push it at the end, but Richard played brilliantly. I'm a bit disappointed, but after last week I was hoping to make the cut and I finished fourth, so I'm happy."

Korean KJ Choi - tied for the lead alongside Johnson after three rounds - slumped to a 78 to finish 13th.

Choi started with a seven at the par five first and after a mixing a couple of birdies with two bogeys, added a nine at the par five 15th.