Walton takes it easy

Philip Walton had his best round for nearly six months as he climbed to seventh place in the Qatar Masters at Doha yesterday, five shots off the lead but with a real chance of getting back to being a real force again on the European Tour.

The reason for Walton being in seventh heaven, joining the chase after new leader Andrew Sherborne of England, lay in a little mental massage a few days before yesterday's second round.

Walton has struggled since the K Club and the European Open last year, and this campaign hardly looked as though it was going to be any better, with only one cut made since he returned from his winter break.

But a determined 67, fiveunder-par, showed Walton's acumen when it comes to playing in the wind as he cruised to sixunder-par for the tournament. He is five behind Sherborne, whose 64 carried him to 11-under-par, two shots ahead of surprise packet Paolo Quirici.

It showed, too, that the Malahide professional knows a little about mind games that the pros normally get from visiting psychologists.

Walton merely woke up one morning and told himself to relax. When the wind got up yesterday and it was easy to try too hard, his little chat with himself worked wonders.

After producing a run of four birdies in six holes to cancel out the memory of a dropped shot on the par-three third, when he missed the green, Walton beat the wind in fine style coming down the back-nine. After eight steady pars and a brilliant eagle on the 16th, when he drove the 320-yard green over the infamous hump which protects and hides it, Walton was ready to explain his theory of how to become laid back and win.

"I was pretty fed up at missing the cut last week when I knew I was playing so well and hitting the ball so well," he said.

"There had to be something wrong between the ears. So when I woke up on Tuesday morning before flying to Qatar I just lay there and told myself I'd got to chill out on the course, just relax and not try too hard.

"I did that in the first round but didn't get the score because the putts didn't drop. Today I relaxed even more and got a good result. It was the best I've played since last year's European Open."

His caddie had said after the opening 71 that Walton was so close to playing really well he could "smell it".

Sure enough, an exhilarating display of ironplay, when three times he hit to within six feet, set up his round going out. Then when the wind ripped in again, Walton was ready for it, highlighting his day by carrying the mound on 16 and then holing a 45 ft putt for eagle.

Paul McGinley continued to battle against his rib injury, as well as the huge course, and succeeded again, carding a 69 which left him one stroke behind Walton on five-under-par.

"I'm quite happy to be competing well for someone not in the best of health," McGinley said, "and I'm hoping for a strong weekend." It was a day of best rounds for a time. Darren Clarke had his best this year since coming back from his winter layoff. He shot 67 to move to four-under-par with five birdies and no bogeys. "I stood closer to the ball, something I've been working on with my coach," he said, "and I couldn't have hit it any better than I did. A 67 was the worst I could have shot."

Des Smyth's fine finish - two birdies in the last three holes - earned him his second successive weekend on duty in his first fortnight back. He shot 69 for levelpar, the cut-off mark.

Padraig Harrington recovered to be on level-par, too, after a twohour evening session under the Doha practice green floodlights reaped its rewards with the putter for a 70.

Raymond Burns was the only Irishman to miss out, as the putter spoiled his week, a 72 leaving him two-over-par.