Brilliant Bjorn makes it two in a row

Thomas Bjorn matched the lowest round of his European Tour career to grab a second successive victory in blistering fashion in Switzerland yesterday.

The 40-year-old Dane fired a nine-under-par 62 to turn a three-stroke deficit into a four-shot win over Martin Kaymer at the Omega European Masters, the first qualifying event for next year’s Ryder Cup.

Bjorn had also been three behind with a round to go in last week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

There he was involved in a marathon five-man, five-hole play-off before coming out on top of the pile. This time he left the rest behind – Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood included – with a marvellous closing burst.

Kaymer missed a two-foot putt on the long 14th that would have taken him two in front and how Bjorn made him pay.

He was almost in water with his approach on the same hole but birdied it to draw level, made another ten-footer for eagle on the next and then put the icing on the cake with two closing birdies.

After going five under for the last five holes, he said: “The way I finished was special and it’s been an amazing two weeks.

“I started hitting my wedges so well last week and kept it going.

“At the end you think nothing can go wrong. Golf seems easy sometimes and you have to remember that when you are not playing well.”

He has had a real rollercoaster career, talking of “fighting demons” after he lost the 2003 Open from three ahead with four to play and going through another low this summer following the death of his father. But with a third win of the year – world No 1 Luke Donald is the only other player to do that –Bjorn is now back in the world’s top 30 and, of course, leads the Ryder Cup race.

Since he last played in the match nine years ago he has served as an assistant to Bernhard Langer in 2004 and Colin Montgomerie last year.

As chairman of the players’ committee he is seen as future captaincy material, but as for possibly making a return to the team in Chicago next September he said: “There’s a long, long way to go and with the talent we have it’s going to take a few more of these weeks.”

With tee times brought forward yesterday because of the threat of storms, Kaymer burst out of the pack with two eagles and two birdies in the first eight holes.