Sweden’s Richard S Johnson sank a 30 foot birdie putt on the last green to become only the second home player in 12 years to win the Nordea Scandinavian Masters at Bro Hof Slot Golf Club, near Stockholm.

Johnson’s birdie ended the challenge of Argentina’s Rafa Echineque – the 29 year old looking to claim a first European Tour win – who had seemingly done enough to force a playoff after finishing at 10-under par.

Johnson’s approach to the 18th landed some way from the pin and a two-putt finish and a playoff appeared the likeliest outcome but Johnson, who plys most of his trade on the PGA Tour and was without a top-30 finish since February, had other ideas and showed no signs of the putting problems that have dogged his career by rolling the putt into the centre of the hole and give him his second Tour victory, eight years after his last win.

Johnson, whose regular caddie Lance Ten Broeck was competing in The Senior British Open Championship at Carnoustie instead, earned €333,330 after his closing round of 71 gave him an 11 under par total of 277 and a one-shot victory.

A 20-foot putt on the last gave Italian player Edoardo Molinari third place, while Open champion Louis Oosthuizen could only muster a final round 73 to tie for fourth place with Australian Brett Rumford and New Zealand’s Mark Brown.

Molinari needed a runners-up finish to force himself into the automatic picks for the upcoming Ryder Cup match at The Celtic Manor in October, but missed several putts along the way.

Korean KJ Choi had led into the final round, but set the tone for his round as early as his opening drive, which he hooked out-of-bounds en-route to a double bogey seven. He then later sent two golf balls into a watery grave at the 15h hole for a calamitous nine, before eventually signing for a 78