Reuters - Zimbabwean Marc Cayeux took a one stroke lead over the field in the Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg and set his sights on helping his stricken family back home. An eight under par 63 that would have equalled the Kungsängen course record but for waterlogging problems that resulted in preferred lies, left Cayeux a shot ahead of experienced Englishman Barry Lane.
The 25 year old Cayeux was born in Lancaster, England, but spent only a year in Britain before his English mother and South African father returned to Zimbabwe. Now, with his country in turmoil, Cayeux has become the family's bread winner, with his mother's petrol station job at an end because there is little fuel and his electrician father also out of work.
A big week has become a must for Cayeux, a graduate from the 2004 Challenge Tour who is finding form after a difficult time. He missed 12 cuts in 19 starts, leaving him in 141st place on the European Tour Order of Merit.
As a product of the Nick Price-inspired junior golf programme in Zimbabwe, Cayeux is anxious to pay back something for his golfing education and even keener to help out his parents.
"I send money back to support them," he said after producing a faultless card with an eagle and six birdies. "I do feel pressure. Sometimes I use it to my advantage and sometimes it gets to you. This is a chance for me to give something back."
Cayeux has worked with sports psychologist John Pates to improve his fortunes, which have dipped since he won the South African Tour Championship earlier this year.
"I remember watching Barry Lane when I was 12 and it's a reality check playing with guys like him, but my coach reminds me that I've earned the right to be here," he said.
Waterlogging, which caused the cancellation of Wednesday's Pro-Am, led to holes nine, ten, 11, 13 and 15 being shortened by a total of 386 yards, with the 6,876 yards course being reduced to 6,490.
Lane, 45, is battling back from a serious knee injury that cost him his chance of qualifying for The Open Championship. Lane, who was on crutches five weeks ago with a mystery left knee injury, returned to top form with a 64.
"It started last year in Italy and I had to withdraw after one round this year in Ireland," said Lane, who won The Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters title at the Marriott Forest of Arden last year, his fifth European Tour title.
"I woke up one morning and couldn't walk. I had the camera inside my knee but they couldn't find anything. They cleaned it out and it isn't hurting any more but I missed all the qualifying for The Open, apart from The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond which was a bit too early to come back."
Lane is looking to put behind him his sad finish in the Estoril Open de Portugal Caixa Geral de Depositos when he was leading coming to the 72nd hole but totted up a quintruple-bogey to hand the tournament to fellow Englishman Paul Broadhurst.
Australian Mark Hensby and Swede Robert Karlsson share third place on 65, six under par, the former closing eagle-birdie and the latter birdieing five of his last seven holes.
Hensby, who finished tied fifth in the Masters Tournament in April and tied for third behind Michael Campbell in the US Open Championship, explained his appearance in Stockholm, saying: “I had always wanted to play a few tournaments over here and had the chance to play in this event last year but had to withdraw, so I thought I would come back this year.”
Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson, making a rare appearance away from the US PGA Tour, was among a group of six players on 66, five under par, while last week’s winner of the Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship of Europe, Niclas Fasth, had a mixed bag with seven birdies, a triple bogey and a double bogey in his two under par 69.
Tournament favourite Adam Scott of Australia shot a modest 70 and Jesper Parnevik of Sweden, returning after a two month break, a 71.
