Parnevik still optimistic about his chances

Having toiled under a burning sun for four hours on the practice ground here on Saturday afternoon, Nick Faldo would have envied the solid consistency of Jesper Parnevik yesterday. It wasn't a brilliant round, but a highly-acceptable 71 contained a run of 10 pars from the ninth to the finish. So, in his fourth USPGA Championship, the colourful Swede had shot rounds of 76,70,71,71 for an aggregate of 288, quite a respectable return on a relentlessly difficult course.

Long before going their separate ways over the weekend, the unlikely duo of Parnevik and Faldo had been cast as rivals for one of the wild-card choices on the European Ryder Cup team.

Yet Parnevik doesn't see things that way. "I think Faldo should be in the team," he said. "And I would also pick myself."

He went on: "Though I support the idea of promoting the younger players, I would have Nick on my team, particularly when you look at some of the heavy names on the American side. For me, Faldo is Faldo and you have to respect the sort of dedication we witnessed here on Saturday, after he had missed the cut."

After being in line for a place in the side at Oak Hill in 1995, Parnevik was overlooked by the then skipper, Bernard Gallacher, who favoured Faldo and Jose-Maria Olazabal. And it will be recalled that even when a worsening foot condition caused the Spaniard to withdraw, Gallacher still ignored him, giving a late call-up to Ian Woosnam.

Still, he remains admirably philosophical about the current situation. "There are a lot of players that you really want on the team, players like Olazabal, Broadhurst and James," he said.

"In fact you would want Seve too, even if he was playing only half decent, because you saw what he did in the match against Tom Lehman (at Oak Hill). Though he hit only one green in regulation, he was only one down after 10 holes."

He draws the line, however, at the idea of being kept in suspense until the official announcement of the team in Munich on the afternoon of Sunday, August 31st. "I have arranged two tournament schedules - one involving the Ryder Cup; the other if I don't make it," he said. "I think Seve should tell me what my situation is before the final countdown, but I know he won't."

Among the attractions of the Ryder Cup is the prospect of being partnered with compatriot Per-Ulrik Johansson in fourballs and foursomes. "Next month is not just about singles and I believe we would play very well together," he said.

He went on: "I first played with Per-Ulrik back in 1980, so we know each other's game. In fact Seve has told me that he was a little disappointed that Per-Ulrik and me didn't have the chance of being partners at Oak Hill."

Without saying it in so many words, Parnevik clearly believes he has nothing to prove in terms of golfing talent.

In 16 tournaments on the USPGA Tour schedule this season (including the British Open), he has had eight top-five finishes and four runner-up placings, including Royal Troon last month. In the process, he has earned $1,051,312 for seventh place in the money list.

Like all of the other leading aspirants, he has been measured for Ryder Cup gear. He has even been told that a special, flip-up cap will be made for him. "They know I can't play without it," he grinned.

By making his life in the US, where he is married with two young children, Parnevik acknowledges he has become something of an outcast as far as the PGA European Tour is concerned. Which makes him regret that they don't come up with a more equitable selection process, possibly based on the Sony World Rankings.

"I can understand the desire to protect the future of the European Tour, but the way the rules are, there's always going to be a lot of guys left out that you would really like to see on the team," he said. "When I spoke with Seve during the Lancome last September, he tried to convince me that I should qualify on my own, by going back to play Europe full-time. That's as much as we have said to each other on the subject."

Parnevik's caddie, Alistair Matheson, would already be making preparations for Valderrama, had he remained with Darren Clarke. "I was with Darren for 18 months, around the time he won the Belgian Open in 1993," he said.

But he enjoys working for the Swede. "He can be very demanding and you've got to be on your toes to keep him happy," he said. But Matheson admitted that there were also compensations, like Parnevik's "very dry wit - and, of course, he is earning me a lot of money," he concluded.