Hansen: I'll take them on, on my own

Soren Hansen offered a unique solution to captain Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup selection headache after an exhilarating round in the defence of his Mercedes-Benz Championship.

“The way I played today I could play with anybody, or play on my own,” joked Hansen after a second-round 67 which contained 10 birdies, including six in his first seven holes.

That left the Dane, set for his Ryder Cup debut at Valhalla next week, on four under par, four shots behind team-mate Robert Karlsson who added a 69 to his opening 67 to cement his return to form after a three-week lay-off.

Hansen did throw in one triple bogey and two bogeys in his round, but the 10 birdies in poor weather were more significant given next week’s match-play format as Europe seek an unprecedented fourth straight victory against the United States.

“I definitely lost that hole in match-play, that’s for sure,” Hansen said of the par-three 11th, where he found a greenside bunker and then four-putted.

“I lost it a bit on 11 but got it straight back, which shows character once again and I’m really pleased with that.

“You’re standing there before going out thinking this is going to be a round of survival because of the weather but I came out hitting good shots and making birdies and it just clicked.

“There’s a lot of things going on with the Ryder Cup next week and defending here, and there’s a lot of questions. Yesterday I was tired but I had a good night’s sleep and I felt ready to go.”

As for prospective playing partners next week, the 34-year-old from Copenhagen added: “It would be nice to have somebody who has tried it before.

“It would be nice, like today at 11, to have somebody to back me up at that particular moment. You never know what can happen and a guy who can back you up if you’re struggling is very important.”