Time for a change as Clarke and Westwood move closer

Colin Montgomerie's seven-year reign as European number one is about to come to an end. That was the considered opinion of Denmark's Thomas Bjorn yesterday after he shot 64 to join Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke on the halfway leaderboard at the Canon European Masters in Switzerland.

"I think it's time for a change and I think it's going to be hard for Monty to make it eight-in-a-row now," said Bjorn, winner of last week's BMW International in Munich.

It is still Eduardo Romero out in front and the 46-year-old Argentinian now has a three-stroke advantage after he added a 68 to his opening 64 for a 10-under-par 132.

But defending champion Westwood moved up from ninth place to joint second by firing a 66, Clarke joined him by scoring 67 and British Open runner-up Bjorn is only one shot further back.

After the promise of a first-day 69, however, Nick Faldo fell 10 adrift after what he described as a "terrible" 73.

With £1.26 million already placed in his bank account this season, Westwood leads the Order of Merit, but only by £39,000 from Clarke and £53,000 from Ernie Els - which is nothing these days.

Bjorn is £315,000 behind and fifth-placed Montgomerie a further £72,000 back, but the Scot is an absentee from Crans-sur-Sierre after missing his first halfway cut for two years last week.

"He's going to be a long way behind after this and I think Lee is the man to beat," said Bjorn, who had a spectacular birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie run from the 13th to haul himself back into the running for the £153,000 first prize.

"He's playing solid golf, he does not seem bothered about anything else and he's going to make a lot of money at the end of the season because he always does.

"Darren and I will be trying to catch and overtake him, but, in fairness, I think Lee deserves to be called the European number one."

For his charge through the field, Bjorn, runner-up in the British Open in July and third in the US PGA last month (both behind Tiger Woods, of course), hit a five-iron to four feet, a bunker shot to six feet, a three-iron to two feet and then rolled in an outrageous 55-foot putt.

"The three-iron for the eagle turned the round into something special," he said.

In trying for the birdie, which would have given Bjorn his first-ever 29 for nine holes, he almost went in the pond at the last, but the ball stayed out by a couple of feet and he saved par.

Despite what Bjorn said about his character, Westwood was bothered by something else as he cut short a Press conference after his round.

He had just finished with a bogey six and, when the conversation turned to the number of short putts he has been missing lately, the world number six upped and left.

Clarke was in a much more relaxed frame of mind - after nearly blowing his top the previous day for missing a whole sequence of chances on the controversial greens.

Although he felt for the second day running he could have got more out of the round, Clarke kept a bogey off his card.

Seve Ballesteros was four seconds away from a £500 fine and one-shot penalty for slow play.

Ballesteros, three times a winner on the course, Nick Faldo and German Sven Struver were followed for six holes by the European tour's chief referee John Paramor after they had fallen two holes behind the group in front for the second day in a row.

Ballesteros took too long over pitching to the ninth green and that meant that one more breach would have brought the punishment.