Volvo Masters could be cut after rain

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WET WET WET: Padraig Harrington still has a chance of winning the European Tour Order of Merit.

THE Volvo Masters was trying to make up for lost time at Valderrama today.

But with more downpours and thunderstorms predicted for the weekend, the event could be cut to three or possibly even two rounds.

And if that happens the Order of Merit race suddenly becomes a sprint for the line tomorrow or Monday.

Less than four hours of play were possible yesterday and only three of the 57-strong field were able to complete their second rounds.

Weather permitting, it was planned to reach the halfway stage by early this afternoon and then get as far into the third round as possible before nightfall.

But tournament director David Garland admitted completing the full 72 holes was “in the lap of the gods”.

Only 56 players are left in now because defending champion Justin Rose was told after he finished playing his grandfather had died overnight.

Four players came into the week with a chance of topping the money list also won by Rose last season, but it now looks to be down to Robert Karlsson, Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood.

That was because Miguel Angel Jimenez came a real cropper in only four holes.

Needing to win the tournament to have a chance of the money-list title, Jimenez, who let it be known to officials he did not think he should be on the course given the conditions, bogeyed the first and third, double-bogeyed the second and then ran up a triple-bogey eight to crash from two over to nine over.

With no placing and cleaning of the ball allowed, the 44-year-old, now 15 adrift of leader Soren Kjeldsen, said: “It got worse and worse and it was unfair because who knows what conditions are going to be like today?”

Paul Lawrie played 10 holes in one over par and was today resuming on five over par.