Sandelin struggling in Mallorca

Six years after appearing in the Ryder Cup Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin almost certainly lost his place on the European tour today.

“The pain is over – a new life as a taxi driver begins,” said Sandelin, who had only a faint hope of surviving the halfway cut in the Mallorca Classic.

Five times a winner since he became a member of the circuit by graduating from the ‘second division’ Challenge Tour in 1994, Sandelin ran up a triple-bogey seven on Pula’s 472-yard 12th and then three-putted the last, his seven-foot par putt rimming out of the hole.

The 38-year-old, 139th on the Order of Merit, needed a top-four finish to climb into the top 116 who keep their cards for next season.

But a second-round 73 sent one of the tour’s most colourful characters down to four over par and that was likely to be one or two strokes outside the cut mark.

“I was out of bounds twice today and that cost me four shots,” he added. “My new swing is so much better and I’m hitting many, many more brilliant shots, but it’s like somebody is playing the destiny game with me.

“I’ll go back to the qualifying school if I have to and I hope I am going to have a few invites next year. When I am standing with a trophy again I will remember this particular day – this day when I finished with a three putt.”

In stark contrast, however, compatriot Mattias Eliasson revived his hopes of retaining his tour spot when he grabbed a share of the early lead on four under with a second successive 68.

Eliasson has not had anything better than a 19th-place finish all year and at 143rd on the money list also came into the event requiring fourth place at worst to avoid a return to the qualifying school.

“I know what I need to do and I have nothing to lose – I’ll just go out and hit it as hard as I can,” he said after a round containing six birdies, but also two bogeys and a double bogey on the 313-yard 11th, where he hit his approach into the water.

He shared the clubhouse lead with England’s Simon Khan, Australian Wade Ormsby and Portugal’s Jose-Filipe Lima, but out on the course Portuguese Open champion Paul Broadhurst and Sweden’s Klas Eriksson – another fighting for his future - were six under.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia posted a second 69 in a row to be two under, while first-round leader Jonathan Lomas, six under after eight holes and out on his own in front, had four bogeys in the next six holes and dropped another at the last to finish the day only one under.

Eriksson reached six under with four birdies in the first seven holes, but when he bogeyed the next two Broadhurst was the clear leader.

The 40-year-old, who ended 10 years without a win in April, had a hat-trick of birdies from the third and when he added another at the seventh he was three ahead at seven under.

With the wind picking up Sandelin’s chances of making the cut improved. In the half hour after he finished he moved up from 80th to 76th – but only the leading 70 and ties play the final 36 holes.