Phil Mickelson, with the help of a hole in one, and Ernie Els put themselves back into contention at the Scottish Open, but it was Angel Cabrera who set the halfway pace at Loch Lomond.
Cabrera, last year’s US Open champion, added a 68 to his first round 65 to head the field at nine-under, a shot clear of Ireland’s Damien McGrane (66).
Mickelson (67) and Els (66) are well-placed, four shots off the leader, but Colin Montgomerie was not around for the weekend after a 75 left Scotland’s No. 1 at two-over, well outside the cut mark.
PHOTO: AP
Overnight leader Thongchai Jaidee from Thailand could not sustain the pace of his opening 64, but he was only two shots off the lead after a level par 71, that he concluded by chipping in from off the green on his final hole.
Argentina’s Cabrera might have been further clear but for a bogey on the 18th, where his drive found the sand.
Mickelson’s ace at the short fifth, his 14th hole, proved to be the catalyst for a turnaround that catapulted him from the brink of missing the cut to the heels of the leaders.
From 198 yards, the left-hander struck a five-iron that never left the line of the pin. After pitching 12 feet short, the ball trundled into the hole to a huge roar from the green-side gallery.
The ace was followed by a birdie four at Mickelson’s next hole and a three on his 18th completed his round.
With Montgomerie gone, Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, gave the home fans something to cheer about by adding a second round 68 to his opening 67, to stand two shots off the lead in a group that included Thongchai, Dane Thomas Bjorn (68), Simon Khan and Australian left-hander Richard Green.
Lawrie is looking for his first win since 2002 and has a particular incentive for ending his drought now that sons Craig and Michael are regular spectators at his tournaments.
“Daddy’s been useless for a while now,” he said. “It’d be nice to get a win on the board just to shut them up.”
■JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
AFP, SILVIS, Illinois
American Will MacKenzie fired a bogey-free seven-under 64 on Friday to seize a two-stroke lead after the second round of the US$4.2 million PGA John Deere Classic.
MacKenzie began the day one stroke behind South Korea’s Charlie Wi and American Ken Duke, but birdied three of his first eight holes once he opened the round, then finished with four birdies in his final eight holes.
MacKenzie stood on 13-under 129 after 36 holes, with Wi and Americans Kenny Perry and Eric Axley sharing second on 131, one stroke ahead of American Brad Adamonis and two better than Britain’s Brian Davis.
■JAMIE FARR CLASSIC
AFP, SYLVANIA, Ohio
Paula Creamer fired a six-under 65 on Friday to stretch her lead to six strokes after the second round of the US$1.3 million LPGA Jamie Farr Classic.
The 21-year-old American followed up a course-record 11-under 60 on Thursday with seven birdies and a single bogey to stand on 17-under 125 after 36 holes, with South Korea’s Ji Eun-hee second on 131 after a 66 on Friday.
Creamer was on target most of the time, taking her only bogey at the par-four fourth and settling for a finish that was one stroke shy of the LPGA record for 36 holes.
Australia’s Rachel Hetherington and South Korea’s Choi Hye-jung shared third, 10 strokes off the pace, with Canada’s Alena Sharp, South Korea’s Young Kim, American Stacy Lewis and Britain’s Janice Moodie all on 136.
Creamer seeks the third title of her fourth LPGA season, which would pull her level with former world No.1 for second on the season win list behind world No.1 Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, a six-time winner this year.
Both Ochoa and Sorenstam are skipping this week’s event.
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