Karlsson doubles his season's winnings

Robert Karlsson is two inches taller than Nick Faldo. The six-time major champion, who measures 6ft 3in, always complained about his height so Karlsson has even more right to the grievance that his own limbs make it harder to groove a consistent swing.

Faldo spent two years reconstructing his swing with David Leadbetter and then countless hours fine-tuning it. Karlsson, who possesses a naturally elegant action, has lived with his inconsistency for years. He won his first tournament in 1995, added another in 1997, a third in 1999 and his fourth, of course, last year.

Now just a couple of months after switching coaches and renewing the search for less erratic results, Karlsson, who was 33 last Tuesday, won for the fifth time on tour at the Omega European Masters by four strokes from Paul Lawrie and Trevor Immelman with a closing 71.

Since the Ryder Cup has switched to even-numbered years, it is timely that the Swede has changed his trend of winning in odd-numbered years. But this win, of course, will bring the man who finished 11th in the qualifying table in 1999, but was not picked as a wild card, no closer to a Ryder Cup debut than his previous victories.

A fine future was predicted for Karlsson by none other than Faldo after he finished second to the Englishman in the European Open at Sunningdale in 1992. The air may be more rarefied above his shoulders than for many but Karlsson did not let the remarks go to his head. "It is always good to get nice comments from the top players but I didn't really reflect on what he said. You play bad for a couple of months and everybody thinks you are going to be working at McDonald's next year." Whether it is the air, or the water, or whatever, up near the mountain tops but Karlsson became the third winner in a row here to win after leading in every round. The Argentineans Eduardo Romero and Ricardo Gonzalez had won "wire-to-wire" in 2000 and 2001 respectively.

Karlsson began the day with a two-shot advantage but after 44 holes without dropping a shot he bogeyed the second hole. His last bogey had been at the same hole on the first day when it was his 11th of the round.

The mistake led to two more dropped shots at the next two holes and now he had dropped back into a four-way tie for the lead. Karlsson recovered to birdie the fifth but then Barry Lane, a former winner here, birdied the seventh and the eighth to lead by one. His challenge promptly collapsed with bogeys at the next three holes – he also lost a ball up a tree at the 16th costing a quadruple bogey seven – but then Karlsson got to work on the par-threes himself.

He almost holed in one at the eight but tapped in for a two. He holed from 10 feet at the 11th and chipped in at the 13th. When Lawrie found water at the par-five 14th and took a six the Swede's advantage was four and he was clear of the pack.

Karlsson, who now uses the same coach as Niclas Fasth, had told his mentor that a sign of progress was four top-10s to finish the season. "What I didn't want was to win by 10 and do nothing in the other events." After a finishing 54th last week, however, he was not exactly going to turn down the £158,400 that more than doubled his winnings for the season.

There was no challenge from Faldo or Ernie Els. Faldo finished with a 73 with two bogeys and no birdies, while Els had a 74 with two double-bogeys. Els had one final engagement, a lesson with the model Cindy Crawford, the tournament patron. "It will have to be quick," the South African said with the air of a man who was ready for a rapid getaway.

* Spain's world No 5 Sergio Garcia won the Kolon Cup Korean Open by three strokes, his closing 67 setting a tournament record 23-under-par total of 265. Garcia has now won on three continents this season. after opening the year with victory in the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii and in April took the Spanish Open.

* Neal Lancaster shot his second straight five-under-par 67 to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Bell Canadian Open in Markham, Ontario. Trying to end an eight-year PGA Tour drought, Lancaster had made one bogey in the first three rounds, and none over his last 35 holes. He collected five more birdies to push his 54-hole score to a 16-under 200, two shots better than Australia's Greg Chalmers, who hit a 65 as he seeks his first win on North American soil. The former Masters champion Vijay Singh and the former Open winner Justin Leonard were among five players tied at 13-under 203.

EUROPEAN MASTERS (Crans-Sur-Sierre) Leading final scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 270 R Karlsson (Swe) 65 66 68 71. 274 P Lawrie 66 70 66 72; T Immelman (SA) 70 67 65 72. 275 B Dredge 73 66 69 67; S Dyson 69 70 68 68. 276 J Moseley (Aus) 72 68 69 67; S Leaney (Aus) 68 70 68 70; A Cejka (Ger) 67 69 68 72; E Canonica (It) 68 68 65 75. 277 P Casey 68 69 76 64 ; M Campbell (NZ) 71 69 67 70; J M Singh (Ind) 71 70 66 70. 278 F Andersson (Swe) 68 70 70 70; B Lane 70 68 64 76. 279 M Farry (Fr) 70 71 71 67; S Walker 73 65 67 74; D Park 67 72 66 74. 280 C Rodiles (Sp) 70 66 73 71; M Roe 73 66 70 71; J Donaldson 69 71 69 71; C Pettersson (Swe) 67 70 70 73; N Faldo 66 72 69 73. 281 D Howell 71 70 71 69; T Levet (Fr) 69 71 71 70; T Bjorn (Den) 69 74 68 70; J Hugo (SA) 70 71 68 72; E Els (SA) 70 71 66 74.