AlGARVE OPEN DE PORTUGAL: Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez shot a blemish-free six-under-par 66 to take a one shot lead in the second round of the Algarve Portuguese Open yesterday.
Jimenez, who can move to the top of both of the European team's Ryder Cup ranking tables and the European Order of Merit if he wins his second tournament of the season tomorrow, is on nine-under 135, one shot ahead of Ireland's Damien McGrane, Ignacio Garrido and Australia's Terry Price.
First round leader Peter Lawrie is another shot back after carding 71, the same mark as Ian Woosman, while Graeme McDowell, Gary Murphy and Philip Walton also made the cut which came at one under par.
Despite being firmly in contention for the European Ryder Cup team, Jimenez could have been even better placed had he not been disqualified in last month's Qatar Masters.
The 40-year-old was five strokes off the lead heading into the final round when he was disqualified for signing for an incorrect third round score.
Officials ruled after watching television footage that Jimenez's ball did not return to its spot, as he insisted it did, after it moved during a practice swing.
The disqualification meant he did not qualify for the Players Championship at Sawgrass in Florida, missing vital points, and for next week's Masters.
"The disqualification is history now but it cost me the TPC, and probably the Masters," said Jimenez after collecting six birdies yesterday.
"You have to keep going. The Ryder Cup is a target but a long-term target.
"For now I have to concentrate and live this moment."
McGrane, in his second full tour season and looking to "go up another level", edged a stroke in front of compatriot Lawrie by closing with his eighth birdie in a six-under 66.
He missed a chance of a share of the lead when his 15-foot eagle putt just failed to drop.
Lawrie lost his top place by including four bogeys in his round of 71.
Lawrie briefly stretched his lead to two shots with a birdie on the par-five fifth but promptly gave the shot back on the next.
That allowed the chasing pack to close up and Jimenez joined him at the head of the field at seven under when he also birdied the fifth.
Lawrie, however, birdied the ninth that took him under par again for the round. Two more birdies followed at the 10th and 11th but in a poor finish he dropped shots at the 13th and 17th for an inward half of 37 for 71.
McGrane, meanwhile, was flying up the leaderboard as he raced to the turn in four-under-par 31 with three birdies in a row from the third and two more at the seventh and ninth for a first nine of 31.
Birdies at the 11th, 14th and 18th took him to eight under par and just one off the pace.
Ian Woosnam, who feared he was "too old and knackered," just 24 hours earlier, stormed into contention with a second round 66 for a halfway total of seven-under -par 137. "I felt I was getting a bit old or unfit for this game," said the 46-year-old Welshman, Masters champion in 1991. "Perhaps I was out to prove something.
"I tried some different swing thoughts round the golf course and got it going. I want to win some money and get up that Order of Merit and get some confidence going."
SecondRoundScores
(Irish in bold, Brit unless stated, Par 72)
135 - MA Jimenez (Spa) 69 66.
136 - Damien McGrane 70 66, I Garrido (Spa) 69 67, T Price (Aus) 68 68.
137 - Peter Lawrie 66 71, I Woosnam 71 66
138 - E Canonica (Ita) 71 67, J Sandelin (Swe) 67 71, M Cort 69 69, N Colsaerts (Bel) 67 71, J Remesy (Fra) 70 68, S Webster 72 66, L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 72 66.
139 - M Roe 70 69, B Lane 68 71, R Karlsson (Swe) 69 70, D Lynn 71 68, J Clement (Swi) 70 69, R Ballesteros (Spa) 70 69, Graeme McDowell 69 70, G Havret (Fra) 67 72, P Sjoland (Swe) 70 69, S Walker 68 71, JM Arruti (Spa) 68 71.
140 - D Botes (Rsa) 70 70, P Eales 71 69, R McEvoy 71 69, G Emerson 69 71, S Dodd 67 73, M Lemesurier 69 71, A Raitt 67 73, C Hanell (Swe) 67 73, A McLean 72 68, N Dougherty 72 68.
141 - F Andersson (Swe) 71 70, P Baker 71 70, D Park 70 71, S Khan 73 68, F Roca (Spa) 73 68, J Mellor 71 70, JM Carriles (Spa) 71 70, M Ilonen (Fin) 71 70, Gary Murphy 69 72, K Ferrie 69 72, R Sterne (Rsa) 74 67.
142 - R Russell 71 71, D Carter 74 68, B Dredge 72 70, M Lafeber (Ned) 68 74, C Gane 70 72, MA Martin (Spa) 68 74, D Gilford 72 70, (x) S Osborne 72 70, A Oldcorn 71 71, D Borrego (Spa) 74 68, S Hansen (Den) 73 69, R Derksen (Den) 71 71, Philip Walton 68 74, J Lara (Spa) 68 74, F Delamontagne (Fra) 74 68, G Canizares (Spa) 67 75.
143 - J Spence 71 72, M Hastrup (Den) 74 69, P Broadhurst 75 68, R Rock 71 72, J Haeggman (Swe) 71 72, K Eriksson (Swe) 71 72, M Jonzon (Swe) 75 68, G Orr 70 73, S Jeppesen (Swe) 72 71, J Elson 73 70, N Fritz (USA) 70 73, D Dixon 71 72, S Fernandez (Arg) 72 71.
Missed the cut: 144 - C Spence 73 71, P Hanson (Swe) 75 69, R Rashell (USA) 69 75, J Lucquin (Fra) 72 72, G Brand Jnr 73 71, S Luna (Spa) 73 71, S Drummond 72 72, M Siem (Ger) 71 73, A Forsyth 72 72, M Olander (Swe) 72 72, N Sato (Jpn) 69 75 145 - V Phillips 75 70, R Bland 72 73, A Wall 76 69, I Pyman 74 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 74 71, A Marshall 71 74, C Cevaer (Fra) 71 74, R Chapman 73 72, S Webster 69 76, H Stenson (Swe) 70 75, I Garbutt 71 74, M Eliasson (Swe) 73 72, M Blackey 70 75, C Monasterio (Arg) 75 70, (x) N Campino (Por) 72 73, B Banks 72 73, W Westner (Rsa) 70 75 146 - M Farry (Fra) 71 75, R Jacquelin (Fra) 74 72, S Wakefield 73 73, J Huldahl (Den) 75 71, B Mason 75 71, M Erlandsson (Swe) 71 75, M Foster 74 72, M Nilsson (Swe) 7274 147 - S O'Hara 76 71, B Kennedy (Aus) 74 73, Paul McGinley 73 74, T Levet (Fra) 74 73, F Cea (Spa) 77 70, R Muntz (Ned) 69 78, H Paulino (Por) 71 76, G Rojas (Arg) 70 77, J Carvalhosa (Por) 74 73, H Nystrom (Swe) 73 74 148 - D Gaunt (Aus) 74 74, I Giner (Spa) 72 76, A Sobrinho (Por) 72 76, M Tunnicliff 77 71, (x) T Cruz (Por) 70 78, T Whitehouse 76 72 149 - P Hedblom (Swe) 74 75, G Evans 73 76, A Coltart 73 76, J Lomas 76 73 150 - M Wiegele (Aut) 76 74, M Pendaries (Fra) 73 77, G Owen 75 75, S Ribeiro (Por) 75 75 151 - G Houston 75 76, J Bickerton 76 75, W Bennett 75 76, S Little 73 78, W Riley (Aus) 75 76, J Berendt (Arg) 73 78, M Brier (Aut) 72 79 152 - H Santos (Por) 79 73, J Edfors (Swe) 73 79, P Nyman (Swe) 80 72, J Foret (Fra) 76 76 153 - R Santos (Por) 76 77, J Vizcaya (Spa) 79 74 155 - H Bjornstad (Nor) 76 79 157 - E Little 81 76, S Richardson 78 79, S Couto (Por) 77 80 160 - D Silva (Por) 84 76 161 - A Cunha (Por) 79 82 163 - P Teixeira (Por) 81 82. Rtd: J Hepworth
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