Volvo Masters Valderama (maybe spoilers)

[Dave Ireland]

So the end of season tourney hits the treacherous Valderama Golf Course, where according to commentators the green aprons are running at 11 - 12 on the stimp. The top 60 players from the Euro Tour face off in a prize money awash event to determine Europe's winner of the order of merit. Currently Mr. E Els sits atop the pile, but misses the event as he is taking in some tournament in the Far East. Podge Harrington and Justin Rose are the only guys that can take the throne away from Els - both lie 200 grand in arrears and they themselves are split by the price of a good coke deal 20,000 or so. They gotta finish in the top 3 and Rose ahead of Harrington to win. yesterday the upper hand appeared to go with Mr Rose who aced the 3rd hole while Podger stumbled to a front 9 of +4. Harrington give him due credit returned home with 5 birds and 1 bogey to get to level par, an astonishing feat on a course playing as hard as it was, + 5 yesterday was enough to have you sit in the Top 20. Rose returned a round of 1 under70.

*Spoiler* Early signs today are that Harrington is continuing his rise up the leaderboard and now sits joint 2nd 1 under for the day, Rose likewise has just birdied to join him.

It has all the making of a great showdown for the weekend. WTF .. just had a look down the leaderboard and occupying last place on +30, 7 shots adrift is one Ronan Rafferty, anyone any idea how Rafferty has qualified for this cash bonanza of a tournament is it because he was a previous order of merit winner ???

[emc]

Rafferty in as a past winner, same as McGinley, commemorating 20 years of the Volvo Masters

[Andy_79]

Rafferty had to play the final two rounds as there's no cut in that tourney. Madness.

My mate rang me earlier. Told me Graeme McDowell holed for a '2' at the par-5 17 to share the lead with one to play. Finished with a double bogey '6' at the last. More madness....!