Karlsson gunning to close out Order of Merit title

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Robert Karlsson is trying to become the first player from Sweden to lead the European money list.

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) -- Robert Karlsson can move closer to the Order of Merit title with a good showing at the Portugal Masters this weekend, while Lee Westwood is trying to keep alive his outside chance at the prize.

Karlsson, a 39-year-old Swede, is aiming to capture his third consecutive European Tour victory -- a feat last achieved by Tiger Woods in 2006. He also wants to extend his lead at the top of the money list ahead of the Castello Masters and season-ending Volvo Masters.

No Swede has ever lifted the Order of Merit trophy, but Karlsson is feeling good about his chances.

"I've never been this confident," he said.

Westwood, meanwhile, is chasing an unprecedented achievement -- winning the Order of Merit without winning a tournament. He has had 12 top-10 finishes in 19 tournaments but hasn't recorded a single triumph this season.

"It's a fine line between winning and finishing second and third," he said. "I could quite easily be sitting here with four, five, six wins this year."

The winner at the par-72 Victoria Golf Club course in Portugal's southern Algarve region takes home $684,220.

Westwood is third on the money list, but the winner's purse could put him ahead of Karlsson and second-placed Padraig Harrington, who is not playing in the Portuguese event.

Westwood's European Ryder Cup teammates Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell and Oliver Wilson are also in the field, along with 2007 U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera.