Mathias Gronberg makes a last-ditch bid to make the European Ballesteros Trophy team when he tees off in the second of the European Tour's back-to-back Brazil events, the Sao Paulo Open, today. Gronberg is aiming for the vacant ninth place in the Continental Europe team to play Britain and Ireland at Sunningdale next week and his immediate target is to rise from his current 11th place in the European rankings.

The Swede is the best-placed European player in the rankings but it is a stipulation of qualification that the qualifier has to be in the top 10 by the end of next week's US Masters.

He is not playing at Augusta and knows that anyone competing there can eject him from the top 10 by picking up rich pickings in the year's first major.

But Gronberg can at least keep them at bay if he takes a top prize in Sao Paulo.

"I could be in a "no win" situation," admitted Gronberg who won the South African Open earlier in the season.

"Anyone can go past me next week, including people like Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood.

"They have no interest in fighting for a place but if they pick up big money next week they can drop me out of the top 10.

"So this week I have to try to get into a position in the top 10 where it will be difficult to shift me.

"I really, really, do want to play in Seve's team."

Englishman Roger Chapman, who ended an 18-year wait for his maiden European Tour victory by winning the Rio Open on Sunday, and the man he beat in a play-off, Irishman Padraig Harrington, are both in the field as is Philip Walton. Harrington will go on to make his debut at Augusta next week.