EUROPEAN TOUR:PETER HEDBLOM of Sweden chipped in twice and Australian Matthew Millar finished with a 100-footer as they took over at the top from Lee Westwood in the Open de Andalucia at Aloha in Marbella yesterday.
Defending champion Westwood, having opened with a seven-under-par 65, followed up with a 73, three-putting the last from only six feet.
At the same hole 30 minutes later, Millar carved his drive into the trees, came up short of the green and then sank his pitch for a three and a 69.
Hedblom, meanwhile, struggled with a heavy cold, but as well as making a 25-foot eagle putt on the long fifth, he holed from off the green at both the seventh and 13th to be round in 67.
The 38-year-old, who earlier this month was a fraction of an inch away from a successful defence of the Malaysian Open, reached halfway alongside Millar on the eight-under-par total of 136.
They lead by one from English pair Richard Dinwiddie and David Lynn and Frenchman Thomas Levet.
Best of the Irish is Damien McGrane, who sprinkled four bogeys alongside four birdies in his 72 to remain at four under par.
One shot back is Rory McIlroy, whose 73 included three bogeys and two birdies.
Westwood dropped to joint sixth on six under, while English amateur champion Danny Willett fell away to three under with a disappointing 75 after starting his first European Tour event with a brilliant 66.
"The greens are a bit trickier in the afternoon - they get a bit iffy," said Westwood. "I probably deserved better than 73, but you have days like that."
Darren Clarke, playing with Ryder Cup partner Westwood, missed the cut after rounds of 73 and 76.
Jose Maria Olazabal is down on one under, but delighted to have survived the cut in his first event since last August's US PGA Championship.
The 42-year-old, likely now to travel to America for next week's Houston Open and then the Masters, is still battling rheumatic pains in his lower back and had no great expectations.
"Making the cut is fabulous," said Olazabal.
He is still not entertaining any thoughts, though, of emulating what he did in 1997 after 18 months out - 12th, fourth and then first in his first three tournaments back.
"That was totally unexpected and I don't think you will see me repeating that," he commented.
Aloha GC, Marbella, Spain
(British unless stated, Irish in bold, par 72)
136 - M Millar (Aus) 67 69, P Hedblom (Swe) 69 67. 137 - R Dinwiddie 72 65, D Lynn 70 67, T Levet (Fra) 69 68. 138 - JA Larsen (Nor) 66 72, M Jonzon (Swe) 69 69, M Lafeber (Ned) 68 70, P Edberg (Swe) 70 68, L Westwood 65 73, O Fisher 70 68, B Dredge 70 68. 139 - C Cevaer (Fra) 68 71, P Sjoland (Swe) 70 69, C Suneson (Spn) 69 70, A Noren (Swe) 69 70, J Luiten (Ned) 74 65, M Siem (Ger) 70 69, S Dyson 71 68. 140 - L Slattery 72 68, Damien McGrane (Ire) 68 72, J Donaldson 70 70, A Forsyth 70 70, E Canonica (Ita) 68 72, P Martin (Spn) 70 70. 141 - R Bland 70 71, H Nystrom (Swe) 69 72, Rory McIlroy (N Ire) 68 73, MA Jimenez (Spn) 74 67, (x) D Willett 66 75. 142 - M Lundberg (Swe) 72 70, RJ Derksen (Ned) 73 69, F Molinari (Ita) 74 68, A Velasco (Spn) 73 69, P Whiteford 73 69, M Erlandsson (Swe) 71 71, D Griffiths 71 71, D Frost (Rsa) 72 70, J Edfors (Swe) 71 71, S Bebb 73 69, P Linhart (Spn) 73 69, S Gallacher 74 68, E De La Riva (Spn) 71 71, F Praegant (Aut) 69 73. 143 - G Orr 71 72, A Hansen (Den) 71 72, J Bickerton 72 71, P Larrazabal (Spn) 74 69, P Hanson (Swe) 72 71, J-M Olazabal (Spn) 71 72, A Wall 72 71, M Brier (Aut) 71 72, G Bourdy (Fra) 69 74, A Canete (Arg) 70 73, G Fernandez-Castano (Spn) 74 69. 144 - G Houston 75 69, J Sandelin (Swe) 70 74, P-U Johansson (Swe) 73 71, P Gustafsson (Swe) 73 71, B Hafthorsson (Ice) 73 71, R Gonzalez (Arg) 72 72, M Kaymer (Ger) 71 73, C Rodiles (Spn) 74 70, Peter Lawrie (Ire) 72 72, G Paddison (Nzl) 71 73, S Delagrange (Fra) 74 70, P Lawrie 78 66, P Archer 72 72, M Quiros (Spn) 72 72.
Missed cut: - 145 J Parron (Spn) 69 76, S Manley 70 75, R Echenique (Arg) 73 72, S Wakefield 71 74, G Clark 72 73, D Drysdale 69 76, S Struver (Ger) 74 71, T Whitehouse 74 71, B Teilleria (Fra) 73 72, I Garrido (Spn) 71 74, S Luna (Spn) 73 72, S Little 73 72, M Foster 69 76, R McGowan 73 72. 146 - A Salto (Spn) 73 73, Gary Murphy (Ire) 74 72, MA Martin (Spn) 73 73, R Finch 76 70, D Park 72 74, J-F Lucquin (Fra) 76 70. 147 - M Wiegele (Aut) 76 71, J Backstrom (Swe) 74 73, J Abbate (Arg) 73 74, S Webster 78 69, JM Arruti (Spn) 76 71, B Barham 76 71, S Khan 72 75, JM Lara (Spn) 75 72, A McLardy (Rsa) 77 70, S Walker 75 72, LS James 76 71, B Lane 74 73. 148 - J-B Gonnet (Fra) 73 75, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 75 73, P Waring 73 75, J Van de Velde (Fra) 71 77, T Bjorn (Den) 72 76, F Zanotti (Par) 74 74, J-F Remesy (Fra) 77 71, P Oriol (Spn) 75 73, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 73 75, F Widmark (Swe) 75 73. 149 - F Aguilar (Chi) 75 74, U Van Den Berg (Rsa) 75 74, Darren Clarke (N Ire) 73 76, P Golding 75 74. 150 - S Dodd 76 74, D Dixon 77 73, A McLean 75 75, D Borrego (Spn) 77 73, F Delamontagne (Fra) 76 74, M Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 74 76. 151 - C Lee 73 78. 152 - H Otto (Rsa) 74 78, A Oldcorn 77 75. 153 - MA Carlsson (Swe) 77 76, J Lorca (Spn) 76 77, JM Carriles (Spn) 78 75, J Zapata (Arg) 77 76. 154 - I Pyman 76 78, Z Scotland 76 78, S Drummond 75 79, M Tunnicliff 79 75. 155 - A Haig (Rsa) 77 78. 156 - L Westerberg (Swe) 79 77, M Warren 76 80, L Claverie (Spn) 79 77, J Kamte (Rsa) 76 80. 157 - B Evans 81 76, P Terreni (Ita) 77 80. 158 - G Canizares (Spn) 73 85, P Baker 80 78.
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