GUT KADEN - Sweden's Robert Karlsson claimed his second victory of the season with a four-shot European Players Championship success yesterday which boosted his chances of a Ryder Cup debut.
Michael Campbell shot a final round of 73, giving him a total of 283, 20 shots off the winner.
Karlsson's
final-round, five-under 67 took him to 25-under 263, four strokes ahead of Briton Lee Westwood and South Africa's Charl Schwartzel.
Karlsson's win at Celtic Manor in the Wales Open this year was achieved with a stumbling final round.
This time the tall Swede looked to be striding to victory in no uncertain manner, six shots ahead of Schwartzel playing the last, but Karlsson was forced to sign off with a closing double-bogey after losing a ball in a hazard.
His nearest overnight challenger, Westwood, reduced his lead to one stroke with an opening birdie but the Briton, looking for a third title at Gut Kaden, soon faltered and needed a big finish to gain a share of second place.
On the fourth, Westwood double-bogeyed after finding a hazard, and the way was open for Karlsson to go on and collect the US$761,000 ($1,242,000) first prize, which also earned him 600,000 Ryder Cup points.
That took him into the Ryder Cup table top 10 and gave him a chance to end a seven-year wait after being snubbed for a team place in 1999.
That year, although he finished only one place away from automatic qualifying in 11th, Europe's captain Mark James chose the 12th-placed man, Briton Andrew Coltart, instead, a decision which Karlsson said in Wales had almost caused him to retire from tournament golf.
Having moved eight places to seventh on the European Ryder Cup table, Karlsson can forget his omission in 1999 if he can retain his position in five weeks when the European team is chosen at the BMW International in Munich, a tournament he won in 1997.
Westwood is making a late bid for a fifth Ryder Cup appearance, although the 2000 European number one was disappointed that his result took him to only 21st in the table.
His three birdies in the last four holes for a 69 put him in great heart for the rest of the season.
Schwartzel's 65 took the 21-year-old Johannesburg professional to 11th on Europe's money-list.
- REUTERS
