McIlroy moves into the picture

Golf:Rory McIlroy sacrificed a proper lunch to sharpen up his swing and it paid off when the US Open champion climbed into contention in the Dutch Open.  A 65 to surge to five under par left him just two strokes off the early second-round lead held by India's Shiv Kapur.

McIlroy said he had not been at his best after finishing off a first round level-par 70 in the morning. The round had been badly disrupted yesterday by weather and vandalised greens.

That left him trailing five strokes off the lead and even though he only had 40 minutes before returning to the course, the 22-year-old made for the practice range to do some swing tinkering.

"It was worth not having a proper lunch," McIlroy explained.

"I just gave myself 10 minutes for a quick bite and went out on the range. I'm trying to get my ball flight more neutral and it seemed to work."

While he played better, McIlroy did ride his luck. He survived a shot close to out of bounds on the sixth, his 16th hole, and was given relief on his final hole when his ball landed on an ant hill close to trees.

"I was really lucky because I then had a clear shot to the green," McIlroy said. "But I still feel as though I've got ants in my pants."

World number two Lee Westwood looked as though he would be alongside McIlroy but a three-putt on his penultimate hole for a 66 left him three off the pace.

Westwood said he was close to breaking point after he and playing partner Robert-Jan Derksen lost the third member of their group, Swede Peter Hanson, who retired with a stomach upset.

"Having to wait on every hole as a two-ball was the hardest thing of the day," Westwood said. "I was getting so frustrated I would have chewed my ball in half or broken a few clubs if it had gone on any further."

Kapur, lying 113th on Europe's Race to Dubai money list, lifted his moderate season by notching a three under 67 to move seven under, a stroke better than Gary Orr and James Kingston.