Immelman lets his clubs do the talking

Trevor Immelman may be still smarting from being overlooked for a wild card into the International team that will oppose the USA in the Presidents Cup challenge next week at Fancourt Golf Club in South Africa but in partnership with Rory Sabatini he showed that he is a real team player.

The South African was a little miffed to be overlooked as a wild card option by International team non-playing captain Gary Player, who instead plumped for Tim Clark and KJ Choi. The fact that the team was announced a couple of days after the US PGA Championship in which Clark made the top five was probably decisive in separating the South Africans.

In mitigation, Immelman said that Player was entitled to make his choices and did, and that he (Immelman) should have qualified by right. However, he added the rider that "it will be interesting to see if they (the wild cards) are the right ones".

It was as much a challenge to himself to prove Player wrong and yesterday at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, Immelman was proactive in improving his stock. Alongside Sabatini, they produced the round of the day, a three-under-par 69 to take them two shots clear at the World Cup after 36 holes.

For 12 holes the South Africans played near faultless golf, three birdies at the third, seventh and 12th took them to three under for the round. The only blemish came on the next hole, but the South Africans recovered in spectacular style at the 197-yard, par three 17th with a birdie two.

The bogey at the 13th could have been far worse as Sabatini explained: "Trevor (Immelman) hit three wood off the tee and left it back in the fairway in good position. I was trying to hit a cut four iron second shot into the wind and thought it was pretty good, even after it landed, but it crept into the reeds.

"It was an unfortunate miscalculation of the wind. In consideration of where it could have gone, it wasn't bad. Trevor has a good short game so we were able to get up and down."

Immelman offered an overview of the round: "When we got out there we were pretty pleased that it wasn't as windy as the day before. We played very solidly all day.

"There were no shots that were off the park and that's removes a great deal of pressure, particularly with the format. It was probably one of the best rounds I've played all year; it's a good thing I had a partner."

Raphael Jacquelin and Thomas Levet of France produced a level-par 72 to remain two behind the leaders, albeit different ones. Out in one over regulation figures, a bogey at the 10th knocked them back but it was only temporary as they finished strongly with birdies at the 15th and 18th.

They are joined on the mark by the United States, Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard knocking it round in two under 70.

The news was less edifying for the overnight leaders Germany, with Alex Cejka and Marcel Siem enduring a particularly wretched back nine.

Having reached the turn in one over par, two bogeys to a single birdie, the Germans began to haemorrhage strokes down the stretch. There was a certain symmetry to the brace of double bogeys on the 13th and 18th holes.

On both occasions they were bedevilled by sand problems. On 13 Cejka drove it into a fairway trap on the right only for Siem to leave it in the bunker while trying to extricate the ball.

Cejka then returned the compliment on 18 when he chunked a dreadful bunker shot that didn't make it even to the lip of the sand trap. It took a 20-foot putt to make the double in the end.

Wales too endured a touch of the bogey blues as they dropped back a couple of shots to two under, following a 74. Despite having a moderate day, Ian Woosnam pointed out that they were still handily placed.

"A few shots is nothing on this course especially as the wind blows and with the foursomes tomorrow (Sunday). We are still in there with a chance," he said.

Woosnam's drive on the 18th bounced into the gallery and ended up in a spectator's plastic beer cup. "Unfortunately there was no beer left," joked Woosnam, who won both the individual and team title - with David Llewellyn - in 1987 in Hawaii and also won the individual title in 1991 in Rome.

Arguably the most spectacular buffeting received by any team was that of the Danish pair of Anders Hansen and Soren Kjeldsen who plummeted to a 12-over-par 84 that included three double bogeys and six bogeys.

India and Myanamar both shot 83s while the Ames brothers Robert and Stephen could only manage an 81.

Scotland were perfectly placed on three under before running up a triumvirate of bogeys over the last three holes to drop back to level par.

With 36 holes remaining and the likelihood of freshening winds over the weekend, only a handful of teams are completely out of the equation but that's based on those languishing eight or nine shots off the place managing to register a 64 or 65 when the fourball betterball format resumes today.