Karlsson increases lead to four shots

Sweden's Robert Karlsson increased his European Masters lead to four strokes with a 5-under-par 66 second round on Friday.

By moving to 11-under-par 131, four better than compatriot Klas Eriksson and Scot Andrew Coltart, Karlsson stayed on course for his immediate goal to make the season-ending Volvo Masters.

Currently he lies 79th on the European rankings, with only the top 66 assured of a place at Valderrama, and has five events after this one to make it.

But Karlsson's chief goal is to get into the world's top 50.

His blemish-free card of five birdies, in which he picked up three straight birdies to start his round, kept him well on target to achieve both targets.

"It was a great start and things are beginning to change for me now," said the 33-year-old Swede. "I didn't expect too much when I decided to make swing changes this year.

"The Volvo Masters is my incentive at the moment but anything can happen still and with two wins you can make the top 10 if you win the right events.

"I certainly want to get into the world rankings top 50. The best I've been is 54th but I'm nowhere near the top 100 at the moment."

After his first-round 65 Karlsson called the Crans greens, revamped by Severiano Ballesteros in 1998 and 1999, "unfair" and was no less critical this time.

"I struggled a bit on them. They are very tricky. I would not like to be an 18-handicapper here," he said.

Karlsson lies seven strokes ahead of six-time major champion Nick Faldo, who ran into trouble at the long 14th, hitting his third shot into undergrowth to make double-bogey.

Faldo, second overnight, was relieved to be still in the hunt, saying: "I worked hard for that. It was too many emotions for an average round, though."

In 1992 Faldo predicted leader Karlsson was going right to the top when the Swede finished just behind him in the European Open.

"It was nice of him to say what he did but people say that about a lot of players," said Karlsson. "And everyone thinks when you play bad for a few months you'll be working in McDonalds next."

The four players sharing fourth place, five strokes off the lead, are Germany's Alex Cejka, Italian Emanuele Canonica, Carlos Rodiles of Spain, and 1999 British Open Champion Paul Lawrie.

Ryder Cup Welshman Phillip Price was in a group six strokes off the pace after a 68, but his playing partner and Belfry team mate Lee Westwood slumped to a 74 to miss the cut by two strokes on 145.

The Englishman said he was more concerned about getting his game right than his Belfry appearance in less than four weeks' time.

Europe's other Ryder Cup man Thomas Bjorn also shot 74 but finished right on the cut off at 143.

Crans's star attraction Ernie Els reckons he needs two 65s at the weekend to make any impression on the lead after the world number one and British Open champion's 71 left him 10 strokes off the pace.

Els took three to get out of a bunker on the short 13th to run up double-bogey.

American Craig Stadler, the 1985 Swiss champion, qualified for the weekend on 143 but son Kevin, after a better first round than his father, missed out by five shots on his European Tour debut, his second appearance as a professional, carding a 78.

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