CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland, 2 September 2005 — European Masters favorites Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald began the 2006 Ryder Cup qualifying campaign in fine style with matching five-under-par rounds of 66 yesterday.
The two stalwarts of Europe’s record nine-point win over the US in 2004 trailed Swede Jarmo Sandelin and Britons David Carter and Garry Houston by a stroke and are threatening to repeat their thrilling battle last year, which Donald won.
Although they are firm friends and are sharing Garcia’s Crans-sur-Sierre home this week, their competitive instincts against each other will drive them on, according to Garcia.
“We are friends and we want to beat each other,” he said.
“We play cards and we get competitive.
“Hopefully, we can keep this going all week as we did last year.” Garcia, who finished third behind Donald in 2004, will be hoping to come out on top but the pair may not have it all their own way if Sandelin continues his revival following four years in the wilderness.
The 1999 Ryder Cup player wants another chance to take on the US after a crushingly disappointing match at Brookline where captain Mark James did not play him until the singles, in which he was comfortably beaten by Phil Mickelson.
“It was a great experience but technical-wise my game was vulnerable,” Sandelin told Reuters.
“The next time, though, if I get a chance, I want to have the trust of the captain and the players to play more than one round.
“I still support the decision made by the captain but any captain should know that puts the player in a difficult situation.” Carter needed emergency surgery in 1997 in Dubai to take water off his brain after being found unconscious in his room following a water-chute injury.
He went on win the 1998 Irish Open and the World Cup with Nick Faldo the same year but has struggled since.
Houston’s best finish on the European Tour was 183rd last year. The Welshman made his 2005 card after a 10th visit to tour qualifying school.
With Britain’s Paul Casey shooting a 67, his best round since winning the TCL Classic in China in March, three of the four 2004 Ryder Cup men in Switzerland contended strongly.
The fourth, Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, who was second last year, is six shots off the pace.
Sweden’s Peter Hedblom finished level with Donald and Garcia, one shot off the pace.
Goosen Off to a Flier at
Volkswagen Masters-China
In Beijing, World No. 5 Retief Goosen blazed a first-round 64 to stamp his authority on the Volkswagen Masters-China golf tournament yesterday.
Two eagles and five birdies against one bogey put the South African on top of the leaderboard at eight under par, two shots ahead of Canada’s Darren Griff and Gary Simpson of Australia.
US Open champion Michael Campbell was a shot further back on five-under with Scotland’s John Wither and American Gary Rusnak.
Playing the back nine first at Jinghua Golf Club, Goosen parred his first four holes and then went on a hot streak, going birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie from 14 to 17.
The double US Open champion hit two more birdies after the turn before drawing gasps from the gallery with another eagle at the par-five seventh to put down an early marker in the 300,000-dollar Asian Tour event.
Campbell, playing in the group behind Goosen, was just happy to remain in touch with his five-under round in which he matched the South African’s eagle at the par-five 16th.
Campbell’s group partner Li Chao, the former Chinese amateur champion who won the inaugural China Tour event this month, ignored the distractions to shoot a four-under-par 68, four shots off the lead.
“At the start I was shaking on the first hole because I was playing with Campbell and (Philip) Price,” he said. “Even on the first putt I was shaking pretty bad. But slowly I began to feel more comfortable and overall I felt pretty good.”
Canada’s Griff put in an astonishing surge in his back nine, carding four birdies and an eagle to finish within two shots of Goosen after starting from the tenth tee.
