Woosnam moves into contention

Ian Woosnam, who feared he was “too old and knackered,” just 24 hours earlier, stormed into contention for the Algarve Open de Portugal today.

Woosnam carded a second round 66 for a halfway total of seven under par 137 at Penina, two shots behind Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Jimenez also recorded a 66 to lie nine under, one ahead of compatriot Ignacio Garrido, Ireland’s Damien McGrane and Australia’s Terry Price, with Woosnam alongside first round leader Peter Lawrie in fifth.

“I felt I was getting a bit old or unfit for this game,” said the 46-year-old Welshman, Masters champion in 1991. “Perhaps I was out to prove something.

“I tried some different swing thoughts round the golf course and got it going. I want to win some money and get up that Order of Merit and get some confidence going.

“Obviously it is a warm-up for Augusta, the only reason I didn’t play the Bellsouth Classic is that the course is a little too hilly for me and playing two weeks in a row on a hilly course I have to think of my fitness for the Masters.

“I want to win a tournament this year (his 30th on the European Tour) and try to get back in the top 50 in the world if I can.”

Woosnam’s comment about being too old came about when he was asked about playing on the Ryder Cup team this year – and after being overlooked for the role of vice-captain to Bernhard Langer, he feels captaincy is next on the agenda.

“I think I did my job (as vice-captain) with Sam and my job next will be to do the captaincy. I don’t know when that will be, Ireland (2006) or Wales (2010) or America (2008), but hopefully I will get the chance to do it sometime in the future.”

Woosnam is the only player at Penina who will be competing at Augusta next week, but he should have been joined by Jimenez if not for the Spaniard’s disqualification from the Qatar Masters last month.

“It’s very sad for me,” said Jimenez, who was ninth in the Masters in 2002 and 10th the year before. “It cost me a place in the Players Championship and the Masters.

“I was only five behind the leader and wanted to finish as high as possible to make up the three places in the world rankings I needed.”

Jimenez was eliminated for signing for a wrong score just before he was due to tee off in the final round in Doha – ending his chances of climbing into the top 50 in the world and qualifying for the Masters – after European Tour senior referee Andy McFee studied television coverage of an incident at the 12th hole of the Spaniards third round.

The Malaga golfer, with two wins already under his belt since Ryder Cup qualifying started and 53rd on the world rankings, admitted his ball moved as he played a practice chip after going over the green.

But he felt the ball then came back to its original position and when he told playing partners Brian Davis and Peter Hedblom, they agreed he should continue without penalty.

It was only after the round and after he had signed his scorecard that McFee was made aware of the incident by the television production team covering the event, even though mention had been made on the commentary.

He and Jimenez studied the video for an hour on Sunday morning and McFee felt he could not give the benefit of the doubt to the player.

“I said I was the player and I said the ball was in the same place,” Jimenez said. “The referee said he presumed the ball was not in exactly the same place because of the movement.

“I said ’Okay, I cannot be that sure as I do not live below the ball,’ but it was in the same place with the same conditions.

“But you have to forget and keep going. It is history now. You have to live for the moment and put it all behind you.”

Jimenez would have been playing the Bellsouth Classic in Atlanta rather than Penina this week if he had qualified for the Masters, but the cloud of disqualification could turn out to have a silver lining.

A ninth European Tour title on Sunday would take him past one million Ryder Cup points and all but assure him of a place in Bernhard Langer’s side when Europe defend the trophy in Michigan in September.

Garrido, who played in the victorious team at Valderrama, was round in 67 and said: “It’s a pity I missed the putt I had on the last because I would have been playing with Miguel Angel, but I am very happy to be playing really.”