In-form Romero ready for action

Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia may not be contesting this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship in Germany, but another star of the Open Championship is back in action.

Argentina’s Andres Romero held a two-shot lead late in the final round at Carnoustie on Sunday courtesy of some stunning golf.

The 26-year-old had just four pars in a round which also featured 10 birdies, but a double bogey on the 17th – his second of the round – and bogey on the 18th ultimately cost him a famous victory.

On a day of amazing twists and turns, Romero eventually finished one shot outside a play-off, just as his compatriot and newly-crowned US Open champion Angel Cabrera did on the same course in 1999.

Romero will be seeking his first European Tour title at Gut Kaden in Hamburg and the low-scoring venue looks certain to suit his attacking game.

Sweden’s Robert Karlsson was 25 under par in winning by four shots from Lee Westwood and Charl Schwartzel last year, despite a double-bogey six on the final hole.

That win effectively sealed Karlsson’s place on the Ryder Cup team and three of his K Club team-mates – Paul Casey, Paul McGinley and Henrik Stenson – are also in the field.

McGinley was alongside Harrington on three under par going into the final round at Carnoustie, but while Harrington carded a 67 before eventually seeing off Garcia in a four-hole play-off, McGinley could only manage a 73 to drop back into 19th place.

Also in the field is 2005 champion Niclas Fasth, fourth in the US Open but only 35th at Carnoustie after claiming his first round of 75 was ruined by a debatable one-shot penalty on the second hole.

Fasth was adjudged to be addressing his ball when it moved on the green. The Swede called for a second opinion from European Tour senior referee Andy McFee but the original ruling, described as “iffy” by Fasth, was upheld.

No German golf tournament would be complete without the country’s most successful player, Bernhard Langer, who returned to top form on both sides of the Atlantic recently when he narrowly missed out on the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, losing a sudden-death play-off to Rory Sabbatini, before coming joint second behind Fasth in the BMW International Open in Munich last month.

Heavy rain in the area has led to the closure of all car parks near the golf course, but tournament director David Probyn insisted the course had been unaffected.

“There will be no serious disruptions on the tournament site, neither for the top professionals nor for the many golf fans we are expecting here in the coming days,” Probyn said.

“Even if more rains fall in the next few days, we assume that will not seriously affect the game or spectator activities.”