Parnevik hoping for cure to putting troubles

The given wisdom in the Ryder Cup is that you’re better pairing an adventurous player with a conservative one - a philosophy which explains why American captain, Curtis Strange, put swashbuckling Phil Mickelson with cool-headed David Toms in practice yesterday.

Three years past at Brookline, however, the boldest decision of Mark James’ captaincy saw the Englishman gamble on bringing together a couple of mavericks. It was a huge risk, but the partnership of Jesper Parnevik and Sergio Garcia turned out to be the most exciting combination seen in the match since the heyday of Seve Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal.

Although kept apart for the first practice session at the Belfry, Parnevik and Garcia were so influential three years ago - they were Europe’s top pairing, winning three and a half points out of a possible four - it was impossible to envisage, until as recently as a month ago, them not being re-united again.

That was when the first worrying reports started to filter across the Atlantic that Parnevik had lost his touch with the putter. The rumour mill even went so far as to speculate that the dreaded yips had claimed another victim.

Most alarming of all, the Swede was supposed to have asked for a sick note from a doctor in order to drop out of the contest and allow Sam Torrance to make another wild card selection.

After failing to qualify for the American Express tournament at Mount Juliet, Parnevik had not been seen in this part of the world since playing in the Open in July so this was a belated opportunity for him to set the record straight.

Admitting Torrance telephoned him to clear up the controversy, Parnevik dismissed the rest of the story as little more than wild rumour. Not that he hasn’t experienced severe putting problems in recent months. Indeed, the Swede’s own caddy saw a comparison between the way Parnevik’s putter made jerky contact with the ball and the involuntary reaction of a man who had just been electrocuted.

"I didn’t putt so good for a while but I’ve worked really hard on that aspect of my game and today it was the best part," he admitted. "Right now my putting is really where I want it to be. In this event, with all the pressure you face, you don’t want bad thoughts in your mind about all of those three, four and five footers.

"Mark O’Meara was the one who figured out what I was doing wrong in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. Mark looked at me and worked out I was aiming wrong. Now I’ve got the face of the putter open and am aiming way to the right.

"With all the practice I’d put in I’d developed a kind of pull stroke. In the end it was a simple thing to sort, but sometimes the simplest faults are the toughest ones to straighten out."

Pressed on whether or not he had the yips, Parnevik agreed his putting was not a pretty sight. "I was aiming so far off target," he expanded, "that my stroke became a jab and I felt I had no chance of making it."

A golfing eccentric with a passion for flamboyant clothing as well as an appetite for eating volcanic dust, Parnevik first made a name for himself in Scotland at Gleneagles in 1993, winning the Scottish Open in only his second season as a pro.

The son of a Swedish comedian, Bo, Parnevik’s love of Scotland was cemented the following season in Ayrshire when he had a wonderful opportunity to win the Open at Turnberry.

In the end he was pipped on the links by Nick Price’s eagle-birdie-par finish to lose his best shot, so far, at securing a major title by a stroke.

As far as the Ryder Cup is concerned, apart from his glorious partnership with Garcia at Brookline, Parnevik has played with fellow Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson at Valderrama, beating Tom Lehman and Jim Furyk, before going on to twice partner Ignacio Garrido in halved matches with Lehman and Phil Mickelson as well as Justin Leonard and Tiger Woods.

The oddity of Parnevik’s involvement with the match is a dismal singles record which has seen him twice lose by 5&4 to O’Meara in 1997 and Duval in 1999. The Swede attributes his previous downfalls on the last day to tiredness, but he still fully expects Torrance to crack the whip and send out Garcia in every session.

"Sergio is going to be our No1 player - he’s sure to play five matches," Parnevik added. "If we want to win it this time, he’s the guy who has to play well. Of course I would love to play with him again, but we also have to pick the guys who are on form and playing at their best right now."

Garcia is also keen to team up with Parnevik again and was relieved to discover the Swede’s putting was sharp even if he landed a wayward drive at the first on a fairway at the nearby PGA National course.

Needless to say, Torrance is playing his cards close to his chest on the subject of pairings, but it may be significant that the Scot insisted on Monday there weren’t any he was sure about a year ago which he’ll need to rip up this week.

Whether the opening pairings for the fourballs will be identical to last September, though, is another matter since even Sam can’t remember what he’s done with the scrap of paper on which included the original line-up.

"I had it all written out," he grinned. "And then I hid it away somewhere safe.

"I’m very good at hiding things and spent three days looking for it but I couldn’t find it. I’ve no idea what my pairings were for the last time, but I’m pretty sure about this one."