Wilson and Dredge set for Masters shoot-out

Golf Digest: England's Oliver Wilson resumed his first round with an eagle and finished his second with a birdie a few hours…

Golf Digest:England's Oliver Wilson resumed his first round with an eagle and finished his second with a birdie a few hours later to claim the halfway lead in the Omega European Masters.

Wilson was one of 44 players unable to complete their opening rounds on Thursday after a two-hour delay due to overnight frost at Crans-sur-Sierre.

The former Walker Cup star was three under par at the time and faced with a 10ft eagle putt on the 15th green when play was suspended. Wilson holed the putt and also picking up a birdie on the 17th to card a 65.

After a 30-minute break to grab some breakfast, Wilson then compiled a 66 with six further birdies and one bogey for an 11-under-par total of 131, one shot ahead of defending champion Bradley Dredge of Wales with Australian Brett Rumford two shots further back in third.

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The cut fell at two over par and that meant an early exit for Ryder Cup duo David Howell and Darren Clarke.

Howell double-bogeyed the 18th to card a second consecutive 73 and finish six over while Clarke missed out by a single stroke after failing to find the required birdie over the closing four holes.

Graeme McDowell safely made the cut after a second round 69 for a halfway total of 142 but Peter Lawrie also missed by one shot after a 71 while Damien McGrane was well off the mark with a 75 for 152.

n US PGA TOUR: Justin Rose remained in close contact with the lead, just one stroke off the pace more than halfway through the second round at the BMW Championship in Illinois.

Rose, who shot a six-under-par 65 in the opening round, collected an eagle, two birdies and two bogeys in 11 holes on the soggy Cog Hill course.

He was joint second with American Steve Stricker at eight under, while Colombian Camilo Villegas edged to the front at nine under through nine holes.

Tiger Woods was among those in the hunt in a tightly bunched field, just three shots behind after 10 holes.

Aaron Baddley was the clubhouse leader on 133 after a 65.

n CHALLENGE TOUR: The Irish quartet of Stephen Browne, Michael Hoey, Michael McGeady and Colm Moriarty were forced to take an early bow at the Challenge Tour's Telia Challenge Waxholm yesterday after all four men missed the halfway cut.

Moriarty fired a second round of one under par 72 to post a one over 147 aggregate at the Waxholm Golf Club, but it was not enough to survive the one under cut.

The same can be said for McGeady, Brown and Hoey, who finished the day on two, four and 10-over-par. Jamie Donaldson of Wales leads the way on 10-under-par 136 after a 69. Stuart Manley of Wales and Germany's Kariem Baraka share second place.

n LET TOUR: England's Kiran Matharu continued her impressive recent form to snatch the outright lead following the second round of the Nykredit Masters in Denmark.

The 18-year-old from Leeds carded just one bogey and six birdies - including one on her final hole - on her way to a five-under-par 66 for an eight-under-par total of 134.

Australia's Sarah Kemp and Sweden's Lotta Wahlin share second on seven-under, one stroke behind the leader.

Claire Coughlan qualified for the weekend after a 74 for 145 but Rebecca Coakley and Martina Gillen both missed out. Coakley shot 71 for 147 and Gillen 75 for 149.

n SENIORS: A birdie on the last hole ensured Canada's Bruce Heuchan a share of the lead with England's Carl Mason at the PGA Seniors Championship on 10-under-par 134. The pair hold a one stroke advantage over Argentina's Luis Carbonetti and Italy's Costantino Rocca at The Stoke-by-Nayland Club.

Mason and Heuchan, the overnight leaders, both fired second consecutive five-under-par rounds of 67 to top the leaderboard, while Carbonetti and Rocca each shot 66 to present themselves as the nearest challengers.

South Africa's John Bland also fired a six birdie round of 66 to put himself firmly in contention one shot further back on eight under par 136.