Karlsson eyes Hong Kong boost

Robert Karlsson is hoping to end a frustrating 2009 season on a high note as he prepares to tee it up in this week's Hong Kong Open.

Robert Karlsson is hoping to end a frustrating 2009 season on a high note as he prepares to tee it up in this week's Hong Kong Open. The Swede, the reigning European Tour Order of Merit champion, only returned to action in October after four months on the sidelines with an eye injury. However, he has struggled to recapture the kind of form that saw him finish as European number one last year and has missed three of four cuts since his return. He is hoping a the trip to Hong Kong will provide a turning point and has good reason to be optimistic as he finished second on his last visit to the tournament two years ago. Then he played some superb golf on his way to a runner-up finish, ending just one shot adrift of winner Miguel Angel Jimenez. The big-hitting Swede kept his driver in the bag for most of the four days as he plotted his way around Fanling's tight par-70 lay-out and is planning on a similar strategy this time around.

Good feeling

"I'm going to have four more events to play, so it's important to hopefully get a couple of decent results in the bag to get a good feeling for next year," Karlsson stated. "It's always good to come back to a tournament where you have played well in the past, it's a good feeling. "I'm used to doing well on other courses that are perhaps longer and a bit more open, so it is very good practice for me to learn how to play a course like this. "I really enjoy playing here because it is different from many of the other courses we play on tour. I think I'll only be using my driver on No.6 and that's about it. "The aim this week is to give myself the best possible chance to have a good result and at the end of the week we'll see where I'm at. It's just good to be here and to be playing this tournament. I'm looking forward to it."