| Crans-sur-Sierre,
Switzerland, 5th September 1998 -
Patrik Sjoland produced a blazing homecoming run of six birdies in eight holes
on Saturday to grab a four-stroke lead going into the final round of the Canon
European Masters. In
the first event to count for points, Sjoland backed himself to be one of three
Swedes who he says will make next year's Ryder Cup team. Sjoland,
on course to follow up his first European Tour success, the Italian Open earlier
in the year, came home in 29 strokes to shoot the best round of the week, a nine-under-par
62. This took
him to a 20-under-par 193, four strokes in front of his playing partner Sven Struver
of Germany and five ahead of the first round leader Darren Clarke of Northern
Ireland, also in Sjoland's group. The
lead was fashioned on an opening eagle putt of 20 feet and seven birdies. Sjoland
might have carded the course record 60 but missed putts of only two and six feet
going out. "The
last time I had nine holes like that was when I won in Italy," said the 27-year-old
Swede. "So perhaps it's a good omen. I'll keep my fingers crossed."
Sjoland was
reminded that this is the first event to count for Ryder Cup points and was asked
how many Swedes might get into Mark James's team for the U.S. next year. "I
think there will be at least three," replied Sjoland. Did he back himself
to be one of the three? "Yes" answered the Crans leader. His
meteoric progress will not have gone unnoticed by James and the English captain
will get a good report back next week from Sjoland's caddy. After
the Swede's regular caddy, his girlfriend Ulrika, had to miss the week recovering
after an appendix operation, James's caddy took over Sjoland's bag when his player
decided to miss the event. Sjoland
praised English caddy Damian Moore, adding: "He helped me on a lot of lines
on the greens and told me at the turn when the putts weren't dropping to be patient.
Everything seemed to drop from then." The
leader putted in from off the green from 40 feet on the 16th and included three
putts of around 12 feet in his exhilarating run home. Clarke
admitted: "That was the best exhibition of putting I've ever seen and the
only way we're going to beat Patrik is to steal his putter!" Play
was delayed for just over two hours because of waterlogging after heavy rain which
caused wet spots on the par four sixth, which was then reduced by 150 yards to
only 172 yards. Struver
putted in for a second successive eagle-two on the hole, having pitched in at
the fifth for an eagle-two on his way to a 65. Clarke
suffered two putts which horseshoed out to hold him back to a 66, but still has
a six-stroke advantage over the player he is hoping to overtake on top of the
European rankings, England's Lee Westwood. Colin
Montgomerie, third in the rankings, looked to be making headway on the leading
group but double-bogeyed the last after his ball ricocheted spectacularly off
the grandstand out of bounds, leaving him 12 shots away from Sjoland on 205.
| 
