SAM TORRANCE has contracted another case of Ryder Cup fever and that spells bad news for his rivals in the Canon European Masters in Switzerland this weekend. The Scot yesterday added an eight under par 63 to his opening 65, and with a 14 under par total of 128 has sprinted into a six stroke halfway lead at Crans sur Sierre.

Torrance has so far claimed an eagle and 15 birdies in a stunning return to his best form after a relatively mediocre season in which he has had only one top 10 finish in the Spanish Open behind Padraig Harrington.

He arrived in the Alps filling 66th place in the Volvo Ranking for which he was runner up last year, not conceding Colin Montgomerie's third successive success until the last putt of the last tournament.

But with a first prize of almost £128,000 now in his sights, and the new Ryder Cup qualifying programme just under way, there are no prizes for surmising that Torrance's principal ambition is to make a ninth successive appearance in the European side.

"It is my top priority he said after getting an accolade from Cup Captain Ballesteros who had played with him for the first two days. It is the best I have ever seen you play," said the Spaniard who chipped in at the last for a 68 and 139, to trail Torrance by 11 shots.

Paul Broadhurst is his nearest rival at eight under, with Lee Westwood and the American based Swede Olle Nordberg sharing third place. Darren Clarke who had a second 68 continues to lead the Irish challenge, settling on the six under par mark alongside Montgomerie.

But he had to share the honours with Waterville's David Higgins who probably secured his 1997 Tour card with a splendid second round 67, also for 139. Torrance had only 27 putts after changing putters overnight, but Clarke had 34 in a frustrating morning on the spectacular Alpine course.

"I cannot play any better than that" he exclaimed "but I could not make any birdie putts. It gets very frustrating to keep hitting it close and not holing anything."

The Ulsterman had four birdies in an outward 32 from the 10th, but after starting back with a birdie four, he missed chance after chance until driving the green at the short par four seventh to go seven under. Then he lost the advantage by taking four to get down from 25 yards short of the ninth green which he three putted from the fringe.

Higgins had played solidly in an opening 72 but had put himself under pressure by not taking his first day birdie chances.

Birdies at the first two holes put him under par, but it was his wedge play around the turf that gave Higgins the chance of a big pay cheque this weekend. From a range of 90 yards at the ninth and 105 yards at the 10th he put himself inches from the hole for birdies, and a third superb pitch to the 12th brought him another from four feet.

His only alarm came at the long 14th where he pushed his drive out of bounds onto the practice ground. But the Waterville youngster made a birdie with his second ball, hitting a four iron to the heart of the green to escape with a bogey six.

"I have put myself in a position to do very well now and I have got a great chance to clinch matters once and for all," he said. A prize of £3,000, or a top 50 place, should suffice. Higgins goes into the third round in 23rd position.

Padraig Harrington is a stroke behind after playing with a similar brand of inconsistency to Montgomerie, who had seven birdies in his par 71 for 136. The Irish Open champion also had two double bogeys, at the sixth where he overshot the green, and the eighth where he four putted from only 10 feet.

Harrington also shot 71, beating par six times, but also running up six bogeys, five of them in the first 10 holes. "It may be stating the obvious but I made far too many mistakes," he said. "I got very defensive towards the end and it hurt my confidence."

Philip Walton was forced to withdraw because of fibrositis in his neck after 10 holes, while Raymond Burns, who had a double bogey at the 18th for 70, and Ronan Rafferty (71) missed the level par cut by one shot, as did Eamonn Darcy (70). Des Smyth (75-147) and Francis Howley with a second 74, also departed.