Spain’s top two prized fighters locked in battle

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ and Sergio Garcia promise to serve up something special for the weekend after proving a cut above the rest on day two of the Omega European Masters.

Spain’s top two were once again occupying first and second on the leaderboard after a pulsating second day in the Swiss mountains.

The Ryder Cup team-mates produced the thrills and spills to match the views at the Crans-sur-Sierre course.

A typically flamboyant Garcia set a fierce pace early on in the day with a magical second-round score of 65 - including eight birdies - to finish the day on 11-under-par.

The 40-year-old Jimenez looked set to return to the outright lead after sinking six birdies but he dropped a shot at the 17th to trail the younger man by a single shot.

“It was very nice to finish that way especially with four birdies,” said Garcia.

“I felt I played pretty solid all day. Some of the pins were quite tough and difficult to get to but I felt comfortable all day.

“I hit a couple of bad shots but they were only about three yards off.”

The Spanish showdown was not the only thing exciting European captain Bernhard Langer as hot on their trail was Ryder Cup wild card winner Luke Donald at seven under.

The 26-year-old rookie finished with another fine round of four-under to stay level with South African Charl Schwartzel and just three off the pace.

The boys in the European gang would also have had Maarten Lafeber for company at the top of the leaderboard but for a spectacular collapse on the back nine.

The 29-year-old Dutchman from Eindhoven was on high in the Alps after sinking seven birdies in the first 10 holes, but then dropped three successive shots.

Lafeber seemed to settle himself down with three pars thereafter but his round blew up in his face again at the last with a disastrous double-bogey six at the final hole to slip completely off the leaderboard to finish on five-under.

Garcia ruthlessly capitalised on that with a closing seven birdies in the final 11 holes.

But lurking dangerously in the background after day two is a former reigning champion.

While Garcia and Jimenez had been supplying the fireworks and Lafeber providing the drama, Eduardo Romero was lurking with intent.

The Argentinian’s dangerous position would not have gone unnoticed as he built on his three-under-par 68 yesterday with six birdies to make up for his ragged two dropped shots.

“I missed three or four putts from a metre today,” he said.

“I could have been 11-under easily but today is only the second day and there are two more days to go.”

Also emerging from nowhere on the second day was an even bigger dangerman in the shape of reigning champion Ernie Els. The South African hit the leaderboard late with a round of 67 to move to six-under but his place among the elite in Switzerland would not have gone unnoticed.

Australian Peter Fowler bagged four birdies and an eagle to finish alongside Romero.

A further shot behind sat Els, Spain’s Carlos Rodiles, South African Darren Fichardt, Englishmen Roger Chapman and Simon Dyson, Frenchman Marc Farry and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, who put a five iron to six foot for an eagle on the 15th.

Eamonn Darcy leads the Bovis Lend Lease European Senior Masters at Woburn Golf & Country Club.

He holds a two-stroke lead from second-placed Jerry Bruner from the United States.

Former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance posted a two-under par 70 to sit three stokes behind Darcy.