PERTH INTERNATIONAL: No second prize for Hedblom

Sweden’s Peter Hedblom has a two-shot lead midway through the Perth International knowing he must win to keep his Tour card. Brendan James reports

Sweden’s Peter Hedblom might be 43-years-old but he still believes in fairytales.

He holds a two-shot lead over England’s Ross Fisher midway through the $2 million ISPS Handa Perth International. He’s trying to play it cool but the pressure is mounting on the tournament leader, who will get much more than a fat pay cheque if he happens to go on and win at Lake Karrinyup.

A smiling Peter Hedblom salutes the crowd during the closing holes of his second round. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Hedblom, currently at No.179 on the European Tour money list, must write a happy ending on his own fairytale and win the Perth International to retain his playing rights on Tour for 2014 by finishing the year inside the top-110. Anything less is simply not acceptable.

“I believe in fairytales,” he said. “I love fairytales.

“One of my best friends on Tour, Michael Jonson, he was way back and needed to win, in 2008, he needed top-three in Castellon, which was his last tournament, and he won it, he beat Martin Kaymer. That was a fairytale story.”

It has been four years since Hedblom won a tournament, that being the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. In fact, in his 25 years as a touring professional he’s won just nine times. But he says: “I know I have the game to do it.”

He followed up his opening round of 68 with a 69. He matched his birdie count from the first round, with six, but his birdies today were made in far more trying conditions. The wind picked up throughout the afternoon and the greens became very firm and far less receptive than they were for the morning players.

“My golf is strange right now, because I hit really good shots, and some really poor shots,” Hedblom said. “But my putting has been good.

“It’s great to be leading right now.”

The married father-of-three said he prefers being near the front throughout the tournament rather than having to attack on the final day to shoot a low score and catch the leaders.

“My record is pretty good actually,” he said. “I know when I won my first tournament in Morocco in ’96 I was leading after two rounds and won. In Malaysia when I won I led into the last … Gleneagles, I think I was pretty close there as well.

“I think I’m better when I’m up in the lead than trying to shoot a low score to try and get into the lead. I think I am a better par putter than a birdie putter. I think it suits more when you have a lead, if you shoot -1, -2 -3 every day.

“The last two rounds … it’s going to be pretty good.”

Hedblom is excited at the prospect. In his press conference he joked with journalists and laughed a lot. The Tour needs more guys like Peter Hedblom.

He says he’s having fun but he must remain calm. For Peter Hedblom there are no second prizes.

“If I have a good tournament, if I finish, third, fourth that would be good of course, but it doesn’t really mean anything right now. I need to win.

“I think knowing that actually calms me down a bit. I don’t have to play for second or third. I just have to play for the win. Playing in the lead, and knowing that a win is what I need to do, I think that’s going to be easier right now.”

England's Ross Fisher was outstanding in shooting 67 on a tough scoring at Lake Karrinyup. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Just as Hedblom was heading out for his second round, England’s Ross Fisher was putting the finishing touches on the equal best round of the day, a five-under-par 67. The former Ryder Cup player had six birdies, including three twos, on his card to catapult his way to the top of the leaderboard. He will head out in the third round tomorrow with Hedblom.

The World No.113 was in the third group out in the morning at 6.40am Perth time and he slept through his alarm that had been set for 4.35am. While he might have had to rush to the course and abbreviate his pre-round routine, Fisher was quickly out of the blocks. Teeing off the 10^th hole first, Fisher birdied 11, 12 and 15. His momentum took a hit at the 18^th where he three-putted for the first time in the tournament.

“You think early out, the greens are going to be, if anything, a bit softer, but in hindsight, they were actually firmer than yesterday, which was crazy,” Fisher said.

“So it was difficult to adjust how far the ball was flying, but managed to dial that in pretty quickly and made some early birdies on the back nine, my front nine. You know, unfortunately three‑putted 18, which was disappointing to drop a shot there.

“But bounced back nicely with a few birdies on the front.”

One of those birdies came on the long par-3 8^th where he miscued his tee shot, which found a deep bunker left of the green. With the green sloping away from the bunker lip and the putting surfaces running at a slick 12.5 feet on the stimpmeter, Fisher appeared certain to make a bogey at best. He played the perfect blast from the sand and the ball dropped for a two.

“Short‑sided myself on the left there and didn't really have much green to work with,” Fisher recalled. “It was a decent lie but it was coming down the green and downhill, so I knew it was going to be pretty quick.

“But it was one of those ones where as soon as I struck it, I knew it was pretty decent. Had a really good line on it, and it went in. It probably would have gone maybe four foot, six‑foot past. I’m happy it managed to go in.”

While leader Hedblom is trying to win here to keep his playing rights on the European Tour, at the forefront of Fisher’s mind is getting starts in the big-money events over the next month, including the end of season finale to the Race to Dubai. To do so, he needs to crack the top-60 on the European Tour money list.

“I want to try and get in the Top 60. It would be for me a great achievement having played the first half of the year in the United States,” he said. “My first tournament in Europe counting‑wise wasn't till May.

“So I've always been playing catch‑up, but I can be really proud of how I've played the second half of the year. I'm in 65th position at the moment. A good week here, hopefully that gets me into next week in China ($7 million BMW Masters). Not out of the question if I won this week, you know, hopefully that would put me into the HSBC (the week after). That would be huge.

“There's some big tournaments left. Obviously this week first and hopefully I can do enough here to get myself into next week, possibility of HSBC, Turkey and Dubai. The ultimate goal would be to get myself into Dubai, but I need to play very well this week to allow myself to try and get into next week.”

Another mover among the morning players was Denmark’s Soren Hansen, who found some much needed form at the Portugal Masters last week. Like Fisher, he had only one bogey in his round of 69.

Denmark's Soren Hansen fires his approach into the 18th hole. PHOTO: BRENDAN JAMES

“It's a nice feeling to have a little progress, especially the end of the year, yes,” Hansen said. “It's been good. It's been a long, tiring summer but it's all smiles down under in Australia.”

Despite sitting at No.137 on the European Tour money list, Hansen is exempt to play next year based on his total career earnings.

The American duo of Dustin Johnson and defending champion Bo Van Pelt battled hard in the afternoon. Johnson hit some wild shots and was probably lucky not have had more than the 74 he signed for. He got off to a good start with a birdie to open the second round but he drove the ball poorly on the back nine.

“If I drive it straight out here I’m going to play well,” he said.

“I hit a couple of bad drives that cost me some shots and I missed a couple of short putts too.

“I should be alright tomorrow … we’ll be out earlier than the leaders and hopefully can shoot a good score and get back in the tournament.”

Despite two bogies on the back nine, Van Pelt managed to stay in red figures for the round and carded a 71 to follow on from his opening 70 and is well-placed to make a run at the leaders over the weekend.

THE LEADERBOARD

1. Peter Hedblom (Swe) 68-68–136

2. Ross Fisher (Eng) 72-67–139

T3. Soren Hansen (Den) 71-69–140

T3. Clint Rice (Tas) 68-72–140

T3. Josh Younger (Vic) 70-70–140

T3. Jin Jeong (S.Kor) 68-72–140

T3. Dimi Papadatos (NSW) 69-71–140

T8. Brody Ninyette (WA) 72-69–141

T8. James Nitties (NSW) 68-73–141

T8. Bo Van Pelt (US) 70-71–141

T8. Richard Finch (Eng) 72-69–141