Johansson books a Ryder berth

TWO Swedes placed the Alamo English Open trophy under siege for much of the final round at Hanbury Manor yesterday, before the more experienced of them emerged triumphant. With a closing 67 for 269 - 19-under-par - Per-Ulrik Johansson took top prize of £108,330, two strokes clear of compatriot Dennis Edlund.

It was an occasion when Ireland's Darren Clarke accused himself of being "unprofessional" as he slipped to a share of 12th place for £9,091 after a final round of baffling contrasts. An outward nine of 40 was followed a homeward journey of 31 for a decidedly moderate 71 in ideal conditions.

Johansson, a member of the triumphant team at Oak Hill, is now virtually certain of retaining his place in the European Ryder Cup side. His move from 10th to third place in the standings means that Clarke has slipped from seventh to eighth, having been as high as third, four months ago.

"I can't figure myself out - it's baffling," said the Ulsterman. Noting Clarke's six birdies on the back nine, his manager, Andrew Chandler, observed wryly: "It was a good day if you were playing presses. "It was also a good matchplay round on the eve of his Andersen Consulting assignment with Bernhard Langer.

Raymond Burns also shot 71 for an eight-under-par total of 280. It gave him a share of 33rd place and prize money of £4,875. But David Higgins repeated his failing of several events already this year with closing rounds of 73 and 76 for 68th place and an extremely modest £971.

From 13 events so far this season, the Waterville player has done the hard work creditably, by making nine cuts. From there, however, his best finish has been 37th in the Heineken Classic in Perth.

Burns might have ended alongside Clarke but for disappointing play of his final three holes. Nine under par for the tournament facing the 185-yard 16th, he hit a five-iron into a greenside trap and took three more to get down.

He then hit a three-wood second shot onto the green at the long 17th, only to three-putt for a par. And he went on to miss a six-foot birdie putt at the last. "I'm pleased with the way I struck the ball but I should have got a lot more out of the round," he said with good reason. "I threw away six strokes."

A poor chip from off the right edge and a solid four-iron over the green led to bogeys for Clarke at the fifth and six holes. Frustration was then clearly evident in a snap-hook off the tee at the next, for another bogey. And he was four over at the turn, after mishitting a wedge third shot at the long ninth.

It was fairly horrible stuff, yet, for no apparent reason, he dramatically turned things around on the homeward journey, carding six birdies from the 10th to 17th. His only slip was a bogey at the 15th, where he three-putted. "The front nine was very unprofessional - I took myself out of the tournament," he said.

Johansson, a surprise winner of the European Open at The K Club last September - "I entered only in the hope of qualifying for the Volvo Masters." - was nicely placed in a share of second place overnight. He was joined there by Edlund, a stroke behind the surprise leader, 33-year-old Gary Emerson of England.

Edlund played ahead of him with Roger Chapman in the penultimate pairing while Johansson was out last with Emerson. By the turn, Emerson was out of the reckoning after an outward 39 and compatriot Chapman had also faltered. Edlund, meanwhile, had taken the lead by one stroke from Johansson.

Then came a run of three holes which effectively decided the event in Johansson's favour. Having missed the 10th green with a seven-iron approach, he gained the unexpected lift of seeing a 15-yard chip finish in the hole for a birdie. And with a superbly-hit five-iron shot of 208 yards, down-wind at the long 12th, he set up an eagle three from 15 feet. Now he was a stroke clear of Edlund, an advantage which he had doubled by the finish.

Explaining his tendency to choke down when gripping his clubs, even the driver, he said: "I believe it gives me more control and I certainly don't sacrifice any distance." By way of proving the point, he did just this when finding the fairway on the long 17th and set up a birdie by chipping to three feet.

Though he had a rather torrid final day at Oak Hill, where he was beaten 2 and 1 by Phil Mickelson in the closing singles, Johansson is keen to retain his Ryder Cup place. "I was so busy trying to hold onto a three-hole lead that I lost the match," he said yesterday.

He went on: "I really enjoyed the Ryder Cup and my chances of going to Valderrama are looking good. But I have other targets. For instance, I want to improve on my highest Order of Merit position of 15th and I would like to gain more experience in the majors."

Second place came as something of a bonus to Edlund who admitted that he was on the point of quitting tournament golf 18 months ago. "I wanted out but my sponsor persuaded me to continue for one more season," he said. "This has been a great week for me."

By way of proving it, he hid his disappointment admirably, giving Johansson a congratulatory smile as they went to receive their rewards.