Ryder Cup golfer Jarmo Sandelin was still in tears tonight as he re-lived the most terrifying moments of his life last Friday.
Sandelin burst into an apartment below where he lives in the centre of Stockholm after a fire broke out. He was able to rescue an elderly woman, but her husband died.
‘It's only afterwards you realise that I could have been in a box,’ said the 41-year-old father-of-three, who is competing in the Spanish Open this week.
‘My whole family was there and the fire could have spread to other apartments.
‘I acted on pure instinct. Unfortunately the door was locked, but I had an extinguisher, the door was not that solid and I managed to get it open.
‘I just heard a woman screaming loudly. There was black smoke coming out and at that moment I didn't think logically at all, decided to take a deep breath and walked inside.
‘I couldn't see anything, just heard this terrible screaming. Luckily I got close and felt she was on my right-hand side.
‘She was panicking and didn't want to move strangely, but I threw the extinguisher away and used my power to pull her out.
‘The neighbours were standing outside and helped her outside. I knew her husband was inside.
‘The emergency services arrived just afterwards and managed to get him, but unfortunately he had died in the smoke.
‘At the moment when everything is happening you learn you react differently. I was lucky and I was lucky to get her out.
‘I saw her when they put her in the ambulance and spoke to her daughter the day after.
‘It goes so fast and it was a close call for me. I am happy that I did what I did.
‘I felt the best thing was to come this week. On the course I am completely occupied with trying to play golf.’
In the first round he even managed his best score of the year, a six under par 66 to be only three off the lead.
But in windy conditions this afternoon he fell 10 behind with a 75.
