Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark surrenders 2-shot lead, wins Irish Open in 3-way playoff

Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen lines up a putt on the fourth hole during the final round of the Irish Open Golf Championship at Royal County Down, Newcastle, Northern Ireland, Sunday, May 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) (The Associated Press)

Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello tees off on the fifth hole during the final round of the Irish Open Golf Championship at Royal County Down, Newcastle, Northern Ireland, Sunday, May 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) (The Associated Press)

NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland – Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark won the Irish Open after a three-way playoff Sunday after his short winning putt on the first extra hole nearly lipped out before dropping.

Kjeldsen entered the final round with a two-stroke lead, but only managed a 5-over 76 and finished in a tie with Eddie Pepperell of England and Bernd Wiesberger of Austria. All had a 2-under total of 282 on the wind-swept, rain-battered Royal County Down, where just five of the 156 competitors finished the tournament under par.

The 40-year-old Kjeldsen took command of the playoff with a precision chip onto the narrow sloping green of the par-5, 525-yard 18th hole. Wiesberger's second shot came up short, while Pepperell twice found the rough to drop from contention.

Kjeldsen's putt from 3 feet circled the rim before dropping in.