McGinley battles on alone

The European Tour's weakest field of the year was further watered down in the Turespana Masters in Majorca by losing its promoter Seve Ballesteros yesterday in a flurry of double-bogeys to begin and end his second round.

And the former Ryder Cup captain, plunging three worse than a high cut of four-over-par anyway, also suffered the indignity of his Valderrama vice-captain calling the tune. Miguel Jimenez is the latest Spanish acquisition to the leaderboard after capturing a share of the two-shot lead with Santiago Luna on seven-under-par.

As if that were not enough humble pie, the player Ballesteros often derided last year when skippering against America, Miguel Martin, is still up there, sharing second place with yet another Spaniard, Jose Rivero.

On a day which Irish golf will best forget, only Paul McGinley made the cut, now lying seven off the lead after a 73 for level-par, his short game ruining his bid for the £58,330 so far.

While the Spanish armada has sailed in, four other Irishmen walked the plank. Raymond Burns looked as though he was home and dry when he found a late birdie. But he then perished with a bogey on the last as his ball took a huge ricochet off the crusted, crested, green and hardly did much better when he tried to recover. A missed eight-footer resigned him to a 77 and one worse than the cut as his misery continues.

The three Irishmen striving to find top placings this week to enhance their tour school rerank chances will be probably limited to the Smurfit Irish Open and Madeira Island Open for their starts for the near future.

Francis Howley missed the cut by two after a further 75, Cameron Clark's 76 left him seven-over and David Higgins plummeted 11-over after 78.

Philip Walton, laid low with a sore throat and chest, did not play the second round.

So McGinley flies the Irish flag today alone. His three dropped shot early on typified his shortgame problems as he three putted the third and then double-bogeyed the fourth by taking four to get down from bunkerside.

Said the Dubliner: "The fourth was typical of the week. After hitting a six-iron into the fringe of the bunker I then bladed the ball out because there wasn't much sand. It went into the rough on the other side and I chipped to six feet and missed the putt."

Ballesteros will wish tenfold that he can quickly refind some touch. His short game has always protected him in the past but not any more.

On the last he needed birdie to make the weekend but came up short with his second, fluffed a chip into the bunker lip, pitched up to four feet-and missed the putt.

Bernhard Langer cannot turn and flinches on every takeaway as a neck in jury sends pain shooting down his left arm. But he soldiered to one-over-par yesterday, eight off the lead.