After an eight-birdie 65, Paul McGinley lies in joint second place with Italian Emanuele Canonica on the six-under-par mark of 138, two behind halfway leader Miguel Angel Jimenez at the European Tournament Players' Championship in Hamburg.
Afterwards, the Dubliner declared Tiger Woods to be worth every penny of the fortune he has been paid to appear this week. Even with some players hearing rumours of the figure being as high as $2 million - almost five times the stg£269,000 first prize on offer tomorrow - McGinley said that whatever the Woods payment is, he for one considers it cash well spent.
He made his comments before the world number one's poor finish to the second round at Gut Kaden denied the Irishman the chance to play with him today. Defending champion Woods bogeyed the 16th and 18th for a second successive 70 and at four under is joint eighth.
McGinley, chasing just his third European Tour title in nine years of trying, commented: "Tiger is wonderful for the game and it's great for Europe that he comes over and promotes the game so well and in such a professional manner. He raises the profile of the game globally and is doing for world golf what Seve (Ballesteros) did for Europe."
Jimenez, who lost a play-off to Woods at Valderrama last November, stayed out in front by adding a 69 to his opening 67. His biggest worry was a pain in his right knee at the start of the day, but he managed to walk it off and after being caught moved ahead again by chipping in at the long sixth - his 14th - and making a 30-footer on the next.
Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie fell further behind despite the bonus of an 81-yard pitch into the hole for an eagle three on the 17th. Montgomerie, in danger of missing the halfway cut when two over par with 12 to play, shot 70 to finish the day one under.
"I haven't missed a cut worldwide for almost two years, so I'm pleased to have made it for the weekend. But it's the same old problem - I've played well, but not putted well."
Darren Clarke complained of the same thing as he missed a chance to take another step towards ending Montgomerie's reign at the top. The Ulsterman wants to extend an Order of Merit lead which already stands at over £200,000. He lies three under after a 69, yet stated: "I putted as if I didn't know where the hole was. I missed four from four feet. It was pretty disgraceful."
Clarke made a trans-Atlantic telephone call to Butch Harmon, the coach he loans from Woods, about his swing after his opening 72 and was dialling the same numbers last night for help on the greens.
"I'm going to ask Olly for a lesson," he added. Jose Maria Olazabal's 65 had brought him from 106th overnight to alongside Woods and Lee Westwood.
Padraig Harrington, disqualified when five clear last Sunday when it was discovered he had not signed his first-round scorecard, has ground to make up this time, being alongside fellow countrymen Ronan Rafferty, Eamonn Darcy and Gary Murphy on one under.
Very poor rounds of 78 and 80 respectively ended the hopes of Philip Walton and Des Smyth.
