Bradley Dredge plays out of a bunker as he barely makes the halfway cut

By Peter Shuttleworth BBC Sport at the Celtic Manor

Home may be where the heart is, but for Welsh golfers it will not be where the glory is - again.

Just ask Wales' leading challenger at the Wales Open.

606: DEBATE Give your thoughts on the Wales Open

Stephen Dodd, a hero of Wales' 2005 World Cup win, is four shots behind leader Richie Ramsay on three under after round two, but played down any hope of a home triumph, insisting: "I'm not playing well enough to win".

So it is déjà vu here at the Celtic Manor as the usual pre-tournament hyperbole of a Welshman finally prevailing at the 10th Wales Open is virtually dead in the River Usk before we even reach the weekend.

Hardly surprising bearing in mind the best-placed Welshman in the world rankings is the 182nd-placed Dodd.

My mum's Welsh... it would be a lovely thing to win here Nick Dougherty

But with such a weak field for the £1.8m Wales Open, Bradley Dredge - joint runner-up to Richard Sterne in 2007 - summed it up when he said this was a "missed opportunity".

Dredge, though, is lucky to be here for the weekend after improving on his "worst ever Wales Open" round on day one to scramble for a weekend stay, saved by two birdies in his last three holes in a one-under-par second round.

Sion Bebb also made the cut by the skin of his teeth, while Tim Dykes survived despite the scare of a double-bogey on third and a triple-bogey on the 12th.

They will join Rhys Davies, Dredge and Dodd back here on Saturday.

Craig Smith was not as fortunate as Dykes as his three double-bogeys at the third, 13th and 18th meant he did not just miss the cut, he blew it with one of the worst rounds of the day, a seven-over 78.

Jamie Donaldson, Kyron Sullivan, Stuart Manley, Garry Houston and Phillip Price also fell well short as Price revealed the added pressure the home 'heroes' face here.

"It would be quite nice if the crowd saw a local lad win it," acknowledged 2002 Ryder Cup hero Price, the world number 935 planning his trip home after crashing out on five-over.

I'll have to play a lot better to have a chance Stephen Dodd

"But you have to earn the right to win things, sentiment wins you nothing.

"I suppose there is a little added expectation from friends here - more so than the Welsh public because Welsh players will have a lot of friends and family here rooting for them and hoping they do well.

"And you sense their disappointment when things don't go so well, there are a few sad faces out there."

Dredge has only enjoyed one top-10 finish this year and was resigned to making it four missed cuts out of five until the weather turned and the cut-off point dropped to two over, keeping him here.

"The Welsh boys obviously want to do well here," said Dredge, trying to explain why the wait for a Wales Open winner goes on.

"I don't just want to do well for myself but also for everybody watching.

"It's always nice to have support, though, and I have enough people here looking for my balls, I never lose a ball here!"

Dredge's charge of '07 was the nearest a Welshman has got to getting his hands on the prize, while Price in 2003 and Ian Woosnam in 2001 and 2005 also made concerted efforts.

Dredge, Dodd, Price and co are mere also-rans at any other event, but at the Celtic Manor they are billed as some of the star attractions, without a world ranking to match.

Yet Wales may have an adopted saviour as Nick Dougherty revealed his secret Welsh roots and, boy, did a success-starved nation breathe a sigh of relief.

The Englishman's mum Ennis, who sadly died of a heart attack last year aged 61, hailed from the Vale of Llangollen in north Wales.

And for a country who watched cockney-geezer Vinne Jones captain their national football team, Dougherty's Welsh green card is in the post.

The 27-year-old is perfectly poised, three shots behind the leader, despite a disappointing one-over-par 72 on day two.

The protégé of golfing great Nick Faldo hopes to start a purple patch on a course where he has a realistic hope of returning as a European Ryder Cup player next year.

"My mum's Welsh and she would always come to this event," Dougherty said.

Dodd says he is suffering after a hectic European Tour schedule

"We used to have some great times here so it's close to me still.

"I love the Celtic Manor and I find the Welsh people very receptive to me and the fact I feel so comfy here helps.

"With that in mind, it would be a lovely thing to win here.

"But that's not the right state of mind in which to approach it. I should enjoy the fact I'm playing a lot better now."

Dodd, a three-time winner on the European Tour, is the man in form following successive top-five finishes at the PGA Championship at Wentworth and the European Open last week - but you would not think it speaking to him.

The 42-year-old admitted he would not have played this week had this tournament not been "at home" following a hectic five-tournament schedule in May, where Dodd jetted from Spain to Italy to Ireland, then to London for back-to-back events.

Dodd's second round 67 - inspired by three birdies on the last four holes - was one of the best performances of day two, but he still could not raise a smile.

"I didn't play particularly well," he insisted. "But I suppose it is a good score.

"I got away with one or two wayward shots. I'll have to play a lot better to have a chance."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version