Bogeys scupper Clarke's birdie blitz

Darren Clarke blamed his own lack of patience yesterday after he missed out on a chance to take the lead after the second round of the European Masters at CransSur-Sierre in Switzerland.

Thomas Bjorn's excellent 66 saw him move into the joint lead with Michael Campbell and Lee Westwood, but Clarke had matched the Dane's six birdies only to card five bogeys as well. The first four were on par threes and the other was a closing six on the 632-yard ninth.

Incandescent with rage as he signed for a second successive 70, which still left him two shots off the lead with three other players, Clarke said: "I kept missing the greens and kept missing the putts. It was just miss, miss, miss.

"I'm hitting it fine - it's these greens."

Westwood, who had also been critical of the greens on Thursday, shot a second successive 69 to take a share of top spot with Bjorn on 138 and then late in the day New Zealander Campbell, made it a three-way tie by matching Bjorn's round.

Clarke was two shots further back with Alex Cejka, Francisco Cea, Sven Struver and Marc Farry. Bjorn, who became the first Dane to play in the European Ryder Cup team two years ago, later spoke of his anguish at missing out this year.

"It's all over now. I can perhaps get my life back together. I'd been trying too hard to get back on the Ryder Cup team but I've learned it's not the way to go about it. You have to focus on just playing well and then things fall into place the way you want them.

"I wanted to be there so badly. It's the best competition in the world and, take away the majors, it's what golf's all about. In fact, it's more important than majors because it's how we do in the Ryder Cup that the European Tour flourishes."

Nick Faldo, also disappointed in missing out on a place at Brookline, was handed a two-shot penalty after his round.

Believing he was only four strokes behind the joint leaders, Faldo was stopped from signing his card by European tour chief referee John Paramor.

The 42-year-old was then shown a video of an incident at the 519yard 14th and, after viewing it, his par five was turned into a double bogey seven.

Faldo's second shot had rolled into the edge of the pond guarding the green, but in playing the shot out - and onto the green 30 feet from the flag - Faldo just caught the water with his backswing.

Rule 13-4 states that a player shall not touch the ground, or the water in the water hazard, with the backswing.

"You're kidding" was Faldo's first reaction to Paramor, but after studying the film he accepted that the breach of the rules was clear.

In the windy conditions Westwood opened with a drive and eight-iron to two feet at the 543-yard first for the easiest of eagles. He also had four birdies in five holes from the fifth, but dropped two strokes coming home. Des Smyth missed the cut by a single stroke with a 74 for 148, while Philip Walton's 78 left him three further back on 151.