Colsaerts wins match play crown

Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts became Volvo World Match Play champion today, beating Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell in the final at a windsept Finca Cortesin in Spain.

Colsaerts, who knocked McDowell out at the quarter-final stage last year, won on the last after a game in which he was ahead on four separate occasions.

His performance takes him into the world’s top 50 for the first time and lifts him into an automatic qualifying place for the Ryder Cup.

He had come from four down after four to beat Scot Paul Lawrie at the 20th in the morning semi-finals, while McDowell got the better of Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello on the last.