Rikard

Karlberg

The 34-year-old Karlberg carded a bogey-free, 5-under 67 in the final round at Mount Juliet to vault up the leaderboard and finish three back of winner Lucas Herbert. “It’s just crazy, this game,” said Karlberg, whose lone ET win came at the 2015 Open D’Italia. “I mean, I’m into the tournament because a few guys were on a flight from America and it was from that U.K., you have to quarantine; and you get the opportunity, and you take care of it, and times you feel bad for the other guys because it’s been really stressful this kind of thing we’re going through, even if we’re really happy with playing, it’s stressful. And so, with that said, I’m so happy.” Karlberg will make his third start at the British Open, where he’s missed the cut in two previous appearances (2015 at St. Andrews, 2016 at Royal Troon). It’s been a rocky season for Karlberg prior to his podium performance in Ireland: He’s made just four cuts in 12 starts with his previous best finish this season being a T-29 at the shortened Porsche European Open in June. He’ll make his third start in the abrdn Scottish Open this week: Karlberg missed the cut in his last appearance in 2017 and finished T-10 in 2015.

After winning his card with a long birdie putt on the final hole of the six round Q School marathon the Swede has made the cut in his two starts this term. He was T57 in the South African Open and then T22 in the Vic Open, but he threatened to do better in the latter, lying T8 after 54 holes. He is a debutant in the tournament so we have little to go on in that respect, but we can look at his record in the Middle East. He was T48 in the 2017 Qatar Masters, but in the United Arab Emirates he has a rather disappointing log book. He’s is 4-for-7, but has only once finished in the top 50, when T23 at the 2016 DP World Tour Championship.

The 33-year-old Swede played two cameos in 2019 that added to his cult hero status. He has not been seen on tour for nearly two years when he reappeared on the second tier in April, a combination of form, physical and mental health problems, all courageously discussed openly. After initially tip-toeing in form he notched three top sixes in a row midsummer, the last of them in the ET’s Czech Masters which he very nearly won. He added sixth in the KLM Open but needed a return to Q School and drained a 30’0" putt on the final green of six rounds to grab his card. He’s just 3-for-8 when playing in South Africa with a best of T15 in his only start in this event in 2015 at Glendower.

The Swede played a fine minor role in the story of 2019, when he returned from a bout of mental and physical ill-health to thrive briefly in mid-summer. He clocked up two top six finishes on the Challenge Tour and then added T5 in the Czech Masters and later T6 at the KLM Open. However, although he made further cuts on the European Tour, he still remains 155th on the Race to Dubai rankings so a very big week is required if he is to avoid a trip to Qualifying School in November.

Some good vibes for the Swede heading into this week. First up, the tournament because he was T5 when it was revived in 2015 at Bad Griesbach . Secondly, the host country, because he also owns a top five in the BMW International Open. Thirdly, the course: He was T19 on debut in 2017, opening and closing his effort with laps of 69. Finally there is form: He followed a fourth and sixth on the Challenge Tour with T5 in the Czech Masters and although he couldn’t back those up since, he has perhaps had a hangover of sorts. What has remained is his ability to go low: There was a R3 65 at the Scandinavian Invitational and two 67s last week on the Challenge Tour.

Prague has been kind to the Swede in the past. He was T23 in this tournament in 2014 and T13 12 months later (when T9 at halfway). He needs those good vibes because he lost his card in 2017 and then also lost 2018 to injury and the need to re-assess his aims on and off the golf course. This season his few chances on the European Tour have reaped almost nothing (he is 273rd in the Race to Dubai), but he has finished T4-T6 in his last two efforts on the Challenge Tour. Now he can take aim at a genuine tilt at regaining his card. His first move on Saturday was not good however, a bogey at the second, his first dropped shot of the week. But thereafter the moves were one way. He ticked the fourth to straighten out his card and then circled four in a row at the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth. A birdie brace at the 15th and 16th saw him move into a four way tie for third with Edoardo Molinari, Robert Karlsson and Hugo Leon.

It took until this morning for the final three golfers into the field of 156 to be identified, but we’re now set. The Swede was the first alternate from the sectional qualifier in Europe. In his only previous appearance in a PGA TOUR event, he missed the cut at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010.

The Swedish winner of last year’s Italian Open had no inkling of the drama ahead when he made bogey at the first hole. But when his fortunes changed they did so quickly, and in style, as he made hole in one with 9-iron on the 154-yard second hole. Many players suffer a hangover from an ace, but not Karlberg who promptly birdied 3 and 4, then added more red at 7, 9, 10 and 12 to find himself thrust into the top five, albeit playing hours ahead of the leaders. A bogey on 16 halted the charge, but he got it back on 17 to close out the 65. He needed a mere 22 putts Sunday (and only 48 of them over the weekend). He seems to be saving his best for Sundays: his previous five scores at the end of the week were 66-73-67-65-66.

Without attracting too much attention the Swede is accumulating a lot of money and a very good set of results this season. The highlight is undoubtedly the solo second in the BMW PGA Championship which was largely thanks to a stunning 7-under final round 65. But toss in a T8 at the Shenzhen International, T10 at the Irish Open and T7 at the Nordea Masters and you understand why he is ranked a lofty 14th on the Race to Dubai (enough to earn him a spot in The Open Championship this Monday). He did miss the cut on his event debut 12 months ago and is fresh from an abbreviated week in Germany, but the form is unlikely to have totally disappeared.

The Swede made his European Tour breakthrough with victory in the Italian Open last Fall and after a mild hangover has kicked on this season, albeit without adding to the trophy cabinet. Six top 25 finishes on the bounce have seen him leap to 16th in the Race to Dubai rankings, with his second place at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth the key, earning him a career-high cheque of €555,550. That said his last two starts have failed to see him last the week and the same happened on his Open debut 12 months ago, when rounds of 70-75 saw him leave St Andrews early. Nor is his Alfred Dunhill Links Championship record great: 1-for-5 with a best of T68. The ray of light is T10 at last year’s Scottish Open at Gullane.