As Paul McGinley signed for a course-record 64, Des Smyth returned for another look at the leaderboard. "There I was, thinking I could put some daylight between us and look what he's done," he said in mock exasperation, when the halfway stage was reached yesterday in the Smurfit Irish Professional Championship at Castlerock.

The influence of wind on links courses, gained rich emphasis in the relatively calm conditions. Where only three players broke par in a wild opening round on Thursday, overnight leader Philip Walton actually lost considerable ground after a one-under-par 72, while scores in the sixties were commonplace.

Indeed a 65 from Francis Howley was no fewer than 10 strokes better than his opening round to give him third place on 140. It contained six birdies and an eagle three at the long 15th, where a five-wood approach came to rest within six feet of the hole. And it was a timely boost, given his imminent return to the Tour School.

"I'm delighted to be back in contention," said the Westerner, whose game was characterised by long, straight driving and 28 putts.

In sharp contrast, Philip Walton was moved to remark dispiritedly: "That's the worst I've putted all year," after totting up 37 strokes with the blade. And McGinley took only 27 putts to sweep past him on 137, two strokes clear of Smyth who had a 66 for 139.

In certain respects, these competitors - especially McGinley and Smyth - were playing a game within a game. Aware of their rivals' skills and frailties, they could almost sense what each other was doing, even while separated by several holes out on the course.

"I knew Des was flying, because JP (caddie J P Fitzgerald) could see him striding up the hills," said McGinley. "Having birdied the 17th, I had a 10-footer on the 18th (his ninth) when I saw that he was six under, up ahead of me." The response was electric. Four strokes behind his older rival at that stage, McGinley duly birdied the 18th and completed five in a row by beating par again at the first, second and third. His play of the 375-yard second was especially interesting, in that he was almost pin-high after a huge drive before pitching dead from 40 yards.

But his longest drive of the round was an effort of 310 yards with gentle wind assistance at the 477-yard fifth, where no more than an eight-iron second set up a two-putt birdie. Indeed the only times the driver failed him was when he found rough at the 11th and 15th to settle for pars in each case.

The card contained no bogey, while six of his nine birdies were on the front nine which he covered in a best-of-the-championship 30 strokes. "I scored better than I played, but this is a competitive business and it was nice to respond so well," he said afterwards.

South Africa's Johan Vorster carded a 64 in the World Universities' Championship here last year, but club officials pointed out that the course has changed significantly since then.

Smyth and McGinley last went head-to-head in the final of the Glen Dimplex Matchplay Championship at Seapoint in 1995, when Smyth triumphed. But, to borrow the words of Sam Goldwyn, a lot of people have passed water under the bridge since then, not least the fact that McGinley is a much-improved player.

In the event, Smyth, who also started on the 10th, blistered the back nine in 32 strokes, the same as Walton had done on Thursday. The highlight was an eagle three at the 493-yard 17th , which he negotiated in a drive, 182-yard six iron and a four-foot putt.

He later went to eight under for the round after birdies at the third, sixth and seventh, but carded his only bogey at the short ninth, his last, where he pulled a four iron into the dunes on the left.