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**truebluefan** · 05-26-2008, 03:31 AM

Le Meridien Moscow CC, Moscow, Russia

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:26 PM

Per-Ulrik Johansson returns to the stunning Le Meridien Moscow Country Club this week to defend his Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship title against an impressive field that includes two-time Major Champion John Daly.

The American has made regular visits to Europe since winning the 1991 US PGA Championship and The 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews but this will be the American’s first visit to Russia. His victories around the world include the 2001 BMW International Open on The European Tour International Schedule and, after missing the cut at last week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, Daly could find a course much more to his liking.

Daly may be known as one of the longest hitters in the game but he is also blessed with a marvellous touch around the greens, attributes which could help him at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.

Twelve months ago the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship resurrected the career of Johansson when the Swede won his first title in a decade, securing a six stroke victory on the outskirts of the Russia’s capital city. Johansson took a firm grip on the tournament with a superb second round 62 and never looked back as he claimed the sixth title of his career.

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**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:26 PM

Defending champion Per-Ulrik Johansson believes good putting will be the key to victory this week at the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship.

The Swede shot a stunning 23 under par 72-hole total last year to win his sixth title on The European Tour, but he believes a successful defence will be especially difficult if his touch on the greens is not up to scratch.

He said: “All the holes are good holes here. You have to keep it on the fairway and there are a few really tough greens out there where if you go for the flag and miss it then you will be in the water or in serious trouble. It’s quite narrow so the key is to keep it in play and putt really well.”

Last year’s feat, which was achieved with the lowest four-round total in the event’s history, has since had a prominent place in the 41 year old’s thoughts, but now he is desperate for success again.

“I am very proud. This is a special place for me having won last year and it is really a great place – I wish more players would come here because the place is great.

“I play it over in my mind all the time. It really was great, a great feeling. I managed to make the last flight back last year and my family and friends in Sweden threw a big party for me. There were 30 to 40 people there with champagne and good food – it was a great feeling.”

“I played well after this tournament last year but I haven’t had great finishes. I have had a few top 20s when I have played really well last year, but if I can putt as well as I did here last year then I know that I can win again on Tour.”

Ireland’s Gary Murphy, who finished in a tie for fifth last year at the Le Meridien Moscow Country Club, has had good results at this event and is glad to be back.

He said: “I really enjoy this golf course and the place. It’s a fun week, a relaxed atmosphere, everybody is staying on site and it’s all very laid back which kind of suits me really. I have had some good success here – five out of seven top tens. I just enjoy the course.”

Despite his comfort with the surroundings, Murphy is taking nothing for granted. He said: “I have had success here and you feel that there are a lot of birdies out there and chances to be had. Obviously the weather can throw anything at you here – I have played here in frosty conditions some mornings – but just because I have done well here in the past doesn’t mean that I am going to do it again. I have to focus the mind and be patient.”

Murphy feels the tournament is going from strength to strength. He added: “The forecast is good this week, and we have John Daly here who is a big draw so hopefully we will see more people coming to enjoy the golf. Hopefully John plays well and adds a bit of excitement to the event.

“This tournament has gone from having a £70,000 prize fund to having one of €2 million and the people here are very positive and hopefully the support from the players continues to improve. The organisation here is phenomenal when you see how much has changed.”

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:27 PM

Joakim Bäckström became the second player on The European Tour this season to card an albatross after seeing off the 561 yard 15th hole in just two strokes at the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship.

The Swede, who is vying to add to the Aa St Omer Open title he won in 2005, was going strong at two under par when he approached the 15th – he started his first round on the back nine – but then things got much better.

His drive at the par five landed 233 yards from the hole, prompting him to use a four iron to cover the remaining the ground. The resultant shot made its way into the hole, leaving him five under par after six holes and temporarily in the lead at the Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.

His effort followed that of Steven Jeffress, who holed his tee shot on the par four 15th during his second round at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in November.

Bäckström subsequently parred the next two holes, but a bogey five on the 18th followed by a par on the first has allowed Darren Fichardt and Sion E Bebb to share the lead on five under par.

South Africa’s Fichardt started strongly, picking up strokes on the first, second and third holes, before birdies at the fifth and seventh took him to the turn in 31. A bogey at the tenth slowed his momentum, but he gained a stroke at the 15th to tie with Bebb, who has shot birdies on the 12th, 14th, 15th, first and second after starting on the tenth.

A shot further back, Bäckström is tied with Johan Skold of Sweden, England’s Gareth Davies, Gary Houston of Wales and Spain’s José Manuel Lara on four under.

Last year’s runner-up Robert-Jan Derksen is also on four under par.

Elsewhere, John Daly is battling the pain of a hand injury on one over par, while Ireland’s Gary Murphy is one under.

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:27 PM

Joakim Bäckström took the clubhouse lead midway through the first round of the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship after shooting a superb seven under par round of 65 that included only the second albatross on The European Tour this season.

The Swede, who is vying to add to the Aa St Omer Open title he won in 2005, was going strong at two under par when he approached the 561 yard 15th – he started his first round on the back nine – but then things got much better.

His drive at the par five hole landed 233 yards from the pin, prompting him to use a four iron to cover the remaining the ground. The resultant shot, which made its way into the hole to leave him five under par after six holes, ensured he became the second man after Steven Jeffress at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in November to fire an albatross this season.

A dropped shot on the18th was cancelled out by a birdie at the second and Bäckström completed the par three fourth in two to pick up another shot, only to drop back again with a six at the par five fifth.

Back-to-back birdies at seven and eight ensured the Swede entered the clubhouse with the lead, but he faces stiff competition.

South Africa’s Darren Fichardt is second after compiling a round of 66 to sit just one shot off the lead.

Fichardt started strongly, picking up strokes on the first, second and third holes, before birdies at the fifth and seventh took him to the turn in 31. A bogey at the tenth slowed his momentum, but he gained a stroke at the 15th and then shot a four at 17 to ensure he birdied all four of the par five holes on the course.

He said: “I felt good on the range this morning and I got off to a great start with a birdie on the first. Then I birdied the next from the bunker and then birdied the third hole and at that stage I didn’t think I was going to make a par. It started to slow down a bit after the seventh and I made a poor bogey on the tenth but picked up another two shots after that.

“I thought it should have been nine under through nine today. But you have to take it when you can get it.”

Six players are tied for a share of third place, with Sion E Bebb, Luis Claverie, François Delamontagne, Garry Houston, José Manuel Lara and Carl Suneson all going round in 67.

Bebb birdied the opening two holes and gained a stroke at the par five fifth before bogeying the eighth. But three birdies in four holes on the back nine put the Welshman well in contention.

Spain’s Claverie birdied five of the back nine without dropping a shot to move up the leaderboard, while Delamontagne shot a bogey-free round.

Spaniard Lara picked a shot up at the two par fives on the front nine - the second and fifth - but dropped a shot at the ninth. A birdie at ten was cancelled out at 13 before Lara strung together birdies at 14, 15, 17 and 18, his strong finish keeping him in touch with the leaders.

Another Spaniard going well was Suneson who birdied all four par fives on his way to a round of 67.

Elsewhere, John Daly battled the pain of an injured hand to shoot two under par, while Per-Ulrik Johansson, the defending champion, is currently two under after four holes.

Daly admitted the going was tough, but he expects scoring to be low. He said: “It’s a great tournament and it’s great to see Russia getting into golf. The golf course here is wonderful and the players are treated really well here. The scoring is going to be low because the course is in such good shape.

“I love the fact that you have the option of hitting a lot of drivers or irons off the tee. That’s why I like The European Tour, they have more traditional courses where you can hit what club you want off the tees on the par fours or fives. There is a great risk/reward element to this course.”

The American hopes to go lower in the coming rounds. He added: “I struggled a little bit but managed to get it to two under. I had some bad shots and some decent ones and then made a few putts coming down the stretch so I am not too disappointed. It’s probably the best that I could have got considering how badly I hit it at times. But I hope to get it better – we’ll come back tomorrow and see what happens.”

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:28 PM

Joakim Bäckström, David Carter, Fredrik Henge and Roope Kakko will go into the second round of the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship in a four-way tie for the lead on seven under par after the quartet combined to produce 30 birdies and one albatross on Thursday.

Bäckström carved the most spectacular course to the score of 65, sinking his second shot at the par five 15th with a four iron from 233 yards.

It added to birdies on the second, fourth, seventh, eight, 12th and 14th holes - he took bogeys at the fifth and 18th - to give the Swede the early clubhouse lead, but he was eventually joined by three of the afternoon starters.

Bäckström’s countryman Henge always looked a threat after he collected strokes on the 12th, 13th, 15th and 18th holes - like Bäckström, he started on the back nine - before he completed his bogey-free round with birdies on the second, fourth and sixth.

Carter was equally imperious, but took longer to find his stride. Having started on the tenth, the Englishman reached the turn in 34 before going on a run of five straight birdies from the first.

Finland's Kakko had a less straightforward run to 65. He dropped strokes at the sixth, 11th and 18th, but ten birdies in a thrilling round gave him a share of pole position.

Bäckström, who was relieved to see all the components of his game come together, was more surprised than anyone after he hit the shot of the day. He said: “It was slightly into the breeze from the right so it thought that a hard four iron would do it.

“I hit it well and it pitched on the green and then disappeared, but because there were people sitting around the green and they didn’t really react. They gave me a clap, but not the kind of reaction that you would expect for an albatross so I wasn’t sure what happened. But when I walked up to the green and it was there in the hole. Thank you very much!”

Henge has recently recovered from the slipped disk he incurred while go-karting, but he showed no signs of rustiness in his round. He was pleased to recover from what he deemed a shaky start, saying: “I actually missed a few tees shots on the first six holes but managed to make birdies from where I was and after that it was great. I just missed one green today and made a lot of chances. The course is playing fantastically and the greens are just perfect.”

Carter was delighted to be back on The European Tour after a brief absence. He explained: “I lost my card last year and having to get my head around playing the European Challenge Tour after 13 years on the main Tour was not easy.

“But it can take just one week, one round and a little bit of confidence and you are off and running. I just had a lot of fun out there today – I didn’t even realise that I had made five birdies in a row until I looked at my scorecard at the end of the round.”

Kakko is hoping to go the distance. He said: “I have always been good at sprints – it’s the marathon that is the problem. I have had some great single rounds but you have to do it over four rounds.

“I was saying to my brother earlier that it’s such a great game because you have to keep the concentration and focus that I had during my great round today for 72 holes, not just 18. That is what I am still trying to figure out how to do that – that is what all the great champions do.”

Should Kakko succeed, he believes it will be because of some unorthodox preparation. He added: “Iron Maiden were playing in Helsinki last Friday and I got to play golf with one of the guys who played in the warm-up band, who were called Avenged Seven Fold. He was a really nice guy and serious about his golf. He just started playing six months ago and he got us backstage and we had an amazing night – that’s another thing that helped me today – I was inspired by hard rock!”

South Africa’s Darren Fichardt is fifth after compiling a round of 66 to sit just one shot off the lead.

Fichardt started strongly, picking up strokes on the first, second and third holes, before birdies at the fifth and seventh took him to the turn in 31. A bogey at the tenth slowed his momentum, but he gained a stroke at the 15th and then shot a four at 17 to ensure he birdied all four of the par five holes on the course.

He said: “I felt good on the range this morning and I got off to a great start with a birdie on the first. Then I birdied the next from the bunker and then birdied the third hole and at that stage I didn’t think I was going to make a par. It started to slow down a bit after the seventh and I made a poor bogey on the tenth but picked up another two shots after that.”

Ten players are tied for a share of sixth place, while defending champion Per-Ulrik Johansson is tied for 30th on three under par.

Elsewhere, John Daly battled the pain of an injured hand to shoot two under par. He said: “It’s a great tournament and it’s great to see Russia getting into golf. The golf course here is wonderful and the players are treated really well here. The scoring is going to be low because the course is in such good shape.”

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:29 PM

Per-Ulrik Johansson’s bid to retain his title at the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship has been boosted a good start to his second round.

The Swede, who cruised to victory by six shots last year, was left with some work to do after an opening 69 on Thursday left him four shots off the pace in a tie for 30th.

However, he responded in formidable fashion, collecting birdies on the tenth, 11th and 12th holes after starting on the back nine. A birdie on the 14th followed before a run of five pars and a bogey six on the second left him six under par in a tie for ninth.

Despite the surge, Robert Rock has staked the most convincing claim for the early lead. The Englishman started on the back nine at four under par and immediately improved his score to seven under after six holes.

Further birdies followed at the 17th, 18th and second, but a bogey at the fourth brought his score back to nine under before an eagle at the fifth put him clear in front.

Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden is providing the sternest challenge. He fired five birdies on the back nine to reach the turn in 31 before a bogey at the first pegged him back to nine under. He regained the stroke at the second before shooting two straight pars.

The overnight lead of seven under par was shared by four players, but their fortunes have been mixed in the second round. England’s David Carter has shot two birdies and two bogeys in his first nine holes, while Roope Kakko has fallen to four under.

Fredrik Henge has slipped to three under par after three bogeys and a double bogey cancelled out a solitary birdie, but Joakim Bäckström has not started his round.

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:29 PM

Jarmo Sandelin and former champion Mikael Lundberg have done their best to ensure a Swedish player retains the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship by each taking a share of the clubhouse lead midway through the second round.

The pair, who are bidding to follow up the success of compatriot Per-Ulrik Johansson at last year’s event, both produced stunning eight under par rounds of 64 to move to 13 under overall.

It puts one shot of daylight between them and English rival Robert Rock, who set the early pace at 12 under following a 64, while Andrew Marshall and Jamie Mole, both of England, are tied for fourth in the clubhouse on eight under par.

Former Ryder Cup player Sandelin held onto his card for The European Tour at the end of last season by €77, but is now vying for his first title since 2002.

Starting from the tenth, the 41 year old picked up shots at the 11th and 12th and then rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th to reach the turn in 31.

For the second day in succession he bogeyed the first but bounced back with a birdie on the next after chipping within inches of the hole.

Sandelin also birdied the sixth and then hit the pin with his approach to the seventh. The ball unfortunately bounced 20 feet away but the former rookie of the year holed for birdie and then hit his tee shot at the eighth to within inches of the hole to make it three in a row.

Lundberg, who won this event in 2002, looked equally impressive. He birdied the first, claimed an eagle at the second and then, having bogeyed the next two, picked up strokes at the sixth and eighth.

Birdies followed on the 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 17th to complete the back nine in 31, giving him a clubhouse score of 131.

Rock started from the tenth and matched Sandelin’s outward half of 31.

The 31 year old then birdied the second and bogeyed the fourth before holing from 30 feet for eagle on the par five fifth. He picked up another birdie on the eighth to record a 64.

Fredrik Andersson Hed added to the Swedish dominance by moving to seven under - a tie for sixth - after a 69.

Defending champion Johansson was six off the lead after adding a 68 to his opening 69 to lie seven under par.

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:30 PM

Former Ryder Cup player Jarmo Sandelin and Mikael Lundberg continued Sweden's recent dominance of the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship on Friday by claiming the lead at the halfway point in Moscow.

Both players carded second rounds of 64 to finish 13 under par, one shot ahead of England's Robert Rock who also returned a 64.

Lundberg won his only title on The European Tour to date in the Russian capital in 2005, while fellow Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson triumphed 12 months ago.

"Maybe it’s because we are only two hours away," said Sandelin. "In fact I was born in Finland and that’s even closer, 10 kilometres from the Russian border. Maybe that’s the inspiration."

Sandelin won the fifth of his titles on The European Tour in 2002, three years after representing Europe in The Ryder Cup at Brookline, but since then has struggled to reproduce that form and held onto his tour card at the end of last season by €77.

Starting his second round from the tenth, Sandelin picked up shots at the 11th and 12th and then rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th to reach the turn in 31.

For the second day in succession he bogeyed the first but bounced back with a birdie on the next after chipping within inches of the hole.

Sandelin also birdied the sixth and then hit the pin with his approach to the seventh. The ball unfortunately bounced 20 feet away but the 41 year old holed for birdie and then hit his tee shot at the eighth to within inches of the hole to make it three in a row.

Sandelin added: “I holed the putts today and that’s what scoring is all about. Of course you have to hit good tee shots and second shots but overall I am very confident and hopefully you will see that over the next two days.”

Lundberg admitted he enjoys a special connection with the Le Meridien Moscow Country Club. He said: “The feeling I get as soon as I step on this golf course is like, if I play badly I’ll shoot two or three under. That’s the feeling – I know every shot that I am going to play, especially from the tee, before I go out. I know exactly where to put it and I don’t feel like I need to go out and try to make birdies, I just have to make sure I don’t make too many mistakes.

“I feel that I don’t have to beat anyone around here – they have to beat me.”

Rock had also started from the tenth and matched Sandelin’s outward half of 31.

The 31 year old then birdied the second and bogeyed the fourth before holing from 30 feet for eagle on the par five fifth. He picked up another birdie on the eighth and afterwards admitted his satisfaction at the recent improvements in his swing.

He said: “It’s been a long process of building my swing to where I wanted it to be. It was good all of last year but very new to me, whereas now I have been having the same swing thoughts for the last year which is great because I used to have four or five different ones every week!

“That has really been the key to consistency. When I came out on Tour a few years back I drove the ball well and putted very well. My iron play was never great and I knew that, but I got by okay. I knew I needed to do a lot of work and I have done that and it makes it more satisfying when you have a good understanding of your swing.”

Norway’s Jan-Are Larsen is fourth on 11 under par, while France’s François Delamontagne is tied with Spain’s Ignacio Sanchez-Palencia a stroke further back in fifth.

Defending champion Johansson was six off the lead after adding a 68 to his opening 69 to lie seven under par.

Former winner of The Open Championship John Daly was three under after seven holes of his second round and on course to make the halfway cut.

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