Fluctuating fortunes does not even come close to describing the week Swedish amateur David Palm has had at the SAS Masters in Stockholm.

Last but one of the 156-man field after an opening 79, Palm improved an incredible 17 shots in his second round and but for placing being allowed on the wet fairways would have broken the course record and equalled the lowest round by an amateur on the European Tour.

His eighth and final birdie enabled him to survive the halfway cut by the skin of his teeth, but this morning the Arlandastad lay-out became a bit of a struggle again with Palm falling back to four-over par and 69th of the 72 players left in with three holes still to play.

Overnight leaders were Nick Dougherty and Peter Hanson on eight-under par, two in front of Hanson's fellow Swede Patrik Sjoland and Dane Soren Kjeldsen, like Dougherty still in with a real chance of making the Ryder Cup side.

Palm finished with a 73 and four-over aggregate, while German Martin Kaymer suffered a blow to his hopes of climbing back into the top 10 of the Ryder Cup table when he double bogeyed the short second.

Kaymer was pushed down to 11th spot by Sergio Garcia's runner-up finish at the US PGA, but had the chance to go back as high as eighth this weekend. However, he was down in 40th spot at one-under after six holes and had to be top 12 to improve his cup position.

The early clubhouse target was set at four under by France's Raphael Jacquelin when he fired a five-under 65 after making the cut with nothing to spare.