Howell makes super start in Sweden

David Howell was today stepping up his bid to secure a Ryder Cup berth in the first round of the Scandinavian Masters.

Howell currently occupies the eighth of 10 automatic qualifying places for the European team which will defend the trophy at Oakland Hills in September.

The 28-year-old has yet to add to his sole European Tour victory in the Dubai Desert Classic in 1999, but has enjoyed a superbly consistent season with six top-10 finishes in 15 events.

He had not missed a cut all season until the British Open championship at Troon, but then promptly made another early exit from the Irish Open seven days later.

With just 150,000 points – one point equals one euro – separating him from France’s Raphael Jacquelin in 14th place in the standings, Howell knew now was not the time to lose form.

And so Howell was quickly back on track at Barseback this morning, moving into a share of the early lead in perfect conditions.

Starting from the 10th, Howell birdied his opening hole and picked up shots on the 12th and 14th to move to three under par alongside fellow Englishman Steve Webster.

They were a shot ahead of a group of players including Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson, another player looking to get his Ryder Cup challenge back on course.

Jacobson looked a certainty to make the team when he followed up fifth in the British Open at Sandwich and sixth in the US Open last year – albeit before the qualifying race began – with victory in the season-ending Volvo Masters last November.

The 29-year-old Swede has also enjoyed four top-10 finishes in America this year but had to pull out of the Wachovia Championship, when one shot off the lead after an opening 66, when his wife Erika went into labour.

He took several weeks off to be with Erika and their daughter Alice – born on May 7 – and missed the cut in his last two events, the US Open at Shinnecock Hills and British Open championship at Troon, to currently lie 12th in the points standings.

Only the top 10 qualify automatically and with Colin Montgomerie almost certain to need one of the two wild cards available to captain Bernhard Langer, Jacobson knew he needed to move up the standings to be sure of making the team.

Playing in the group ahead of Howell, Jacobson birdied the 12th and 13th to stand two under par, one ahead of defending champion Adam Scott, who recovered from two opening bogeys with a hat-trick of birdies from the 12th.