Ryder Cup drama as Wiesberger falls apart

Bernd WiesBerger stood on the 18th tee in the european Masters yesterday with a ryder Cup place in the palm of his hand. The keen skier from Austria held a one-stroke lead in the Alpine setting of Crans, needing only a par to all but guarantee he’d sample the rarefied air of the biennial dust-up for the first time at Whistling straits next month. Who could have predicted it would all go downhill from there for the man with eight european Tour titles to his name, including some big ones like the scottish Open? All that proved no preparation for the 35-year-old, as he ran up a calamitous double bogey that changed the picture entirely. Wiesberger’s problems on the tricky closing hole began with a drive that found a fairway bunker. Worse was to follow when he could only watch in horror as his recovery shot found the water protecting the green. A nervous pitch following a penalty drop left him with little chance of the bogey he needed to catch 20-year-old dane rasmus Hojgaard, who had finished with five birdies from six holes but could hardly believe it had earned him the title. Poor Wiesberger, who has little time to recover and go again, with just two events remaining before the team is settled. second place in Crans means he’s still on the outside looking in regarding the automatic slots and, after that finish, there seems no chance he will get the one remaining wildcard that appears up for grabs, with the other two virtually assigned to ian Poulter and sergio garcia. One man who might snatch it is sweden’s Henrik stenson, 45, who followed his first top-five finish for two years last week with another. in his first appearance for a decade in switzerland, he finished with an immaculate bogey-free 63 for third place. europe’s captain Padraig Harrington will have enjoyed watching garcia in the thick of the action in the final round of the second of the three Fedex events in Maryland last night. The spaniard put a lean summer behind him with a spectacular opening, playing his first four holes in four under to move to within one shot of the lead held by Bryson deChambeau (above) and fellow American Patrick Cantlay. A messy double bogey at the fifth, however, brought his thrilling momentum to a halt. What a contrast between the two leaders. One, deChambeau, makes headlines wherever he goes, however he plays. The other, Cantlay, refuses to play the social media game, and is happy to let his clubs do the talking. At the 357-yard opening hole, the drastically slimmed down deChambeau sent the crowd into rapture by booming his drive into a greenside bunker and pitching out for a tap-in birdie. it was Cantlay, however, who made the better start, brushing in four birdies in his first five holes for a one-shot advantage. rory Mcilroy began the final round four off the lead but it’s hard to make inroads when the pacemakers start so well. nevertheless, it was looking an encouraging week for the northern irishman heading into the Fedex finale beginning on Thursday at east Lake in Atlanta, which is one of his favourite courses.

TIGER WOODS’ back-up putter from his sensational 2002 season has sold for £285,000 — reportedly making it the most expensive golf club ever. The putter was personally produced by scotty Cameron for Woods, who practised and experimented with it but never used it in competition.