Fasth fancies his chances in Spanish Open

Not since Max Faulkner in 1953 has anybody managed a successful defence of the Spanish Open, but a golden opportunity has presented itself to Niclas Fasth this week.

A tournament which finishes on his 35th birthday on Sunday sees the Swede as the only representative of the world’s top 50 taking part.

Currently ranked 33rd, Fasth beat England’s John Bickerton at the fourth hole of a play-off at San Roque 12 months ago, but the 81st staging of one of the European Tour’s oldest events comes at the new Centro Nacional in Madrid.

The complex was opened by King Juan Carlos last year and has become the home of the Spanish Golf Federation, but the country’s top two players – Ryder Cup partners Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal – are not appearing and their new star Pablo Martin, winner of the Portuguese Open at the start of the month, is back at college in America and waiting to turn professional.

Two other members of last September’s Ryder Cup side are in the field, but Darren Clarke has since fallen to 69th in the world and Paul McGinley is not even in the top 100 any more.

Former cup man Fasth, who succeeded compatriot Peter Hanson as Spanish Open champion, lies 12th on the Order of Merit after a superb run in which he came third in the Dubai Desert Classic, knocked out Retief Goosen in reaching the last 16 of the Accenture world match play in Arizona and posted a sixth place finish at the CA world championship in Florida.

He also made the cut for the first time in three attempts at the Masters, but then fell away to 55th spot with weekend rounds of 77 and 80.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, now 43, leads the home challenge in the absence of Garcia, Olazabal and Martin, but will need to have shrugged off jet-lag after playing in Houston, Augusta and then last week in Shanghai, where he was 10th in the BMW Asian Open.