Nov 04: Fredrik Jacobson set his sights on qualification for next year's Ryder Cup after his victory at the Volvo Masters. The 29-year-old Swede edged out Spain's Carlos Rodiles to claim his third European Tour title of the season on Sunday.
And he is determined to make the European team to take on the United States at Oakland Hills next September.
"Playing in the Ryder Cup for the first time is one of my main goals for next year," said Jacobson, who is now second in the Ryder Cup points standings.
"I think I'm getting close to it and I've been playing well for a while. Hopefully I'll play a bit more in America next year and it will work out fine."
Five players qualify for the European Ryder Cup team via world rankings points accumulated over the 12-month period which ends with next year's WGC-NEC Invitational.
A further five get in through Ryder Cup points picked up over the same time frame from the European Tour.
The final two spots are the wild card picks of the captain.
Jacobson, who produced top-six finishes at this year's US and British Opens, is delighted he will be playing in all four majors in 2004, including the US Masters for the first time.
But he added: "I won't change anything approach-wise as there's no point in changing anything that's working."
Jacobson said his breakthrough victory in the Hong Kong Open last December had been a key factor.
"The difference after I won in Hong Kong was that I could feel a bit more relaxed [being in contention]," he said.
"I had to win that first time to get that good feeling in situations like this. Now I'm better at setting goals and even more focused every time I play."
Bureau Report