Three StrokeAverage.com clients sit in the top 10 of the European Tour Order of Merit, with just four events of the season left, after Sweden’s Robert Karlsson beat Ross Fisher in a play-off for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews.

Lee Westwood, who lost a play-off to retain his British Masters crown at the Belfry a week ago is in third spot. The 35-year-old chalked up six wins on his way to landing the European number one title in 2000, and is €360,546 behind and not out of the race to win his second Harry Vardon Trophy despite not having won since his victory at The Belfry a year ago.

Graeme McDowell, who won the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond Golf Club in June, to go with his Ballantine’s Championship victory in Korea, in March, is in sixth spot some €799,102 behind Robert Karlsson, who has a total of €2,540,248 from 21 tournaments – eight more than Padraig Harrington.

Ross Fisher, European Open winner, who lost a play-off with world number two Phil Mickelson for the HSBC Champions title in the first event of the 2008 season in Shanghai, in November, is in seventh.

And Darren Clarke (pictured here with StrokeAverage.com client Paul McGinley), who has been using StrokeAverage.com to analyse his stats and performance since 2004, is in 14th spot, having notched his first two European victories in five years when landing the BMW Asian Open in Beijing, back in April, and the KLM Dutch Open two months ago.

Ross Fisher was looking for his third win in just over a year but smashed his drive straight down the wide open first fairway on the famous Old Lady Course.

His ball came to rest in the Swilcan Burn while Robert Karlsson and Germany’s Martin Kaymer both were left with short wedges over the water into the green and when the latter was unable to convert from 10 feet, the Swede was left with a simple birdie chance to claim the first prize of €545,811.

It meant back-to-back victories for Robert Karlsson – who claimed the Mercedes Championship crown in Germany the week before he was on the losing European team in the Ryder Cup clash at Valhalla Golf Club.

The 39-year-old now lies some €142,425 ahead of Padraig Harrington, despite his back-to-back Major wins earlier in the summer.

With just the Madrid, Portuguese and Castello Masters left to play before season ending and final Volvo Masters at Valderrama, the race to be European number one is hotting up, when just a few weeks ago, the Irishman’s wins in the Open Championship and USPGA looked certain to give him back the Harry Vardon Trophy he won in 2006.

That year Padraig Harrington had also won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, while Colin Montgomery had claimed the trophy on the way to his eighth Order of Merit win back in 2005.

So will it prove an omen for Robert Karlsson as well? Ross Fisher, who had led the pro-celebrity field on the first day after a superb eight-under par 64 at Kingsbarns Golf Club, had stormed into the lead over the front nine at St Andrews on Sunday.

The Wentworth ace went out in 31 thanks to five birdies to get into a share of the lead with Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin, who was joint overnight leader.

And the big hitting 27-year-old went in front with a birdie at the 380-yard par four 10th, only to drop his first shot of the day at the 12th.

His chance looked to have gone with Martin Kaymer, Robert Karlsson and fellow Swede Magnus Carlsson queuing up behind Ross Fisher and with more holes to play around the easy turn.

But Ross Fisher holed a long eagle putt at the 14th and then parred his way in, negotiating the tricky 17th Road Hole. He failed to make a three on short 18th and posted a total of 10-under, which Robert Karlsson then matched with a 65 of his own.

Martin Kaymer looked to have wrapped up his third win of the season when he fired his approach inside three feet at the 16th, but promptly bogeyed the next.

The German, who was part of the European captain Nick Faldo’s back-up team at Valhalla after narrowly missing out on qualification, could not birdie the last taking the tournament into the 18th play-off on Tour so far in 2008.

Martin Kaymer is one of six players to have won twice on the European Tour this year – along with Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson. The other three are all StrokeAverage.com clients – Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Ross Fisher.

Ross Fisher is one of five StrokeAverage.com clients to have tasted defeat in play-offs this year – Oliver Fisher lost to Thomas Levet in Spain, in April while David Howell was beaten by Gregory Bourdy in Portugal a week later, Rory McIlroy lost to Jean Francois Lucquin in Switzerland and Lee Westwood also has two play-off losses in 2008.

But given how difficult it is to win on Tour the 2008 season record for Europe’s number one golf stats consultancy service, looks like being its best in its six-year history.

Golf article end.