 | R2 LEADERBOARD GB&Ire unless stated
-6 Sergio Garcia (Spa)
-5 Alastair Forsyth
-4 Ian Poulter
-3 Angel Cabrera (Arg), Christian Cevaer (Fra)
-2 Peter Hanson (Swe)
-1 Jonathan Lomas, Peter O'Malley (Aus), Brian Davis |
Sergio Garcia came home in a five-under 31 strokes to take a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Volvo Masters. Garcia's inward nine was all the more remarkable as it came after a bogey, par, double-bogey start to his round.
The 24-year-old Spaniard birdied the last two holes to push Scotland's Alastair Forsyth back into second place on five under for the event.
England's Ian Poulter is a shot further back, with Angel Cabrera and Christian Cevaer three shots off the lead.
Darren Clarke sailed into the lead midway through Friday only to see his hopes sink with a sextuple-bogey 11.
Having arrived at Valderrama's par-five 17th at three under par, Clarke was bunkered in two and then put three balls into the water short of the green.
The Seve Ballesteros-designed hole has a fearsome reputation and Tiger Woods putted into the pond at the 1997 Ryder Cup.
England's Miles Tunnicliff could be joining him in sending some hate mail to Ballesteros. So far this week he has had a nine and an eight. As bad as Clarke's 11 was, it was still nine shots better than Philippe Porquier's 20 at the 1978 French Open.
And only last year England's Chris Gane ran up a 17 at Gleneagles' 18th in the Diageo Championship.
Poulter was delighted to be in the hunt again after a poor season by his standards.
"I haven't won. I won twice last year. I'm 22nd in the Order of Merit and I was fifth last year. I need to prove to myself this week that I can go out and win the tournament and keep my record going," he said.
"I don't want to let up and not win every year. That's what I've come here for this week and that's what I want to go away with."
With only nine players in the 54-strong field under par, the Ryder Cup trio of Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington and David Howell are firmly in contention on level par.
Alongside them is Australia's Terry Price, and their Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood is only a shot further back.
|  I couldn't live with myself if I had done something wrong - that matters more than winning any tournament |
Luke Donald, however, could not repeat his first-round form and shot a 76 to fall back to three over par. Garcia was given a late scare when after signing for his two-under 69 he had to explain to chief referee John Paramor what happened at the short third.
A scorer had informed Paramor that Garcia's first ball had been found in bounds in the trees, but the Spaniard had hit a second and continued with it.
When Garcia said he had declared the second ball a provisional Paramor thought that could mean disqualification. But Garcia escaped any punishment because nobody told him the first ball had been discovered.
Paramor described it as "bizarre in the extreme" that Garcia was not told.
Garcia said: "I was surprised to see John and wondered who had done something wrong. It's not nice. The way he put it I thought I might be disqualified, but I told him everything I did and everything I thought.
"I couldn't live with myself if I had done something wrong. That matters more than winning the Volvo Masters, a major or any tournament."
Meanwhile, as word of him being pictured with Spanish model Ines went around Valderrama, Colin Montgomerie fell out of contention by taking not just one, but two double-bogey sevens - one of them at the 17th. Already four over after an opening 75, Montgomerie dropped to seven over with a 74.
"It wasn't so much disconcerting but to concentrate was more difficult than normal," the 41-year-old Scot said.
"When you are growing up you imagine yourself on the front pages but when you're grown up, I'm not sure.
"All the players knew about it and there were a lot of comments, all in fun.
"And that's how it's been all the way through this year, which has been difficult, to say the least. They have given me great support."
MMIX
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Masters mayhem