European Tour: Robert Karlsson's second victory of the summer in the European Players Championship yesterday set him up for a belated Ryder Cup debut.
The 6ft 5in tall Swede, controversially ignored for a Cup outing in 1999, looks certain to be on Ian Woosnam's side at The K Club after a record-breaking follow-up to a record-breaking Wales Open win in June.
Even a double-bogey six at the last, where he lost a ball, did not stop him clipping two strokes off Lee Westwood's 23-under-par record tally at Gut Kaden in the 1998 event. And a closing 67 left Karlsson still four ahead of Westwood, who squeezed three birdies into the last four holes for a ragged 69.
Karlsson becomes Europe's most successful Swede, with seven Tour titles to his credit, and the €600,000 worth of points he picked up hoists him from 15th to seventh in the Ryder Cup table.
Woosnam, who opened the week with sprightly rounds of 65 and 66, but had to give second best (69 to 66) in his Saturday pairing with Karlsson, admitted being "very impressed".
Woosnam has two captain's picks and would surely not overlook the Swede this time.
Seven years ago in Munich Karlsson finished 11th in the qualifying table (10 gain automatic berths), but that year the captain Mark James, who had already picked Jesper Parnevik, surprisingly opted instead for Scotland's Andrew Coltart in 12th spot for Brookline.
Karlsson admitted contemplating quitting the Tour a year later, but insisted: "It was nothing to do with being left out of the team - it was because I was playing so poorly. Now everything is where it should be again and I'll probably get into the side for September, which is fantastic. But it's a bonus for playing well."
Karlsson's victory, the 67th by a Swede on the Tour, moves him up to third in the money list with more than €1,412,000. Despite his 72nd-hole hiccup, he has proved himself a majestic front runner, with six of his seven wins coming after he led going into round four.
It did not look like turning out so easy when Westwood, double winner of the title and back in hot form after following up a record 63 with rounds of 68 and 67, birdied the first from 10 feet.
It narrowed Karlsson's lead to one, but the Englishman, striving hard for a Ryder Cup return after a dismal summer, ran up a double-bogey six at the fourth and found himself five adrift after Karlsson virtually slammed the door shut with a 30-foot three at the seventh.
Westwood, fighting a hook and in a succession of bunkers, refused to give in, snapping up birdies at the ninth and 10th, only to slip up again at the 12th and 14th.
But the famed fighting qualities which could earn him a Woosnam "wild card" if he fails to squeeze into the top 10 saw him birdie three of the last to share second with South African Charl Schwartzel.
Graeme McDowell celebrated his 27th birthday in style by adding a second successive 65 to finish in tied fourth on 20 under par. He collected a €141,660 birthday present.
Paul McGinley shot weekend rounds of 69 70 to be 13 under, which was worth €44,000.
Padraig Harrington (72 72) and Damien McGrane (70 72) finished on 11 under for €31,500.
