Murphy slips seven behind as Finch flies to top
The 27-year-old from Hull, playing just his ninth European Tour event, blasted a course record 63 to lead the Telecom Italian Open in Milan.
"I brought a suit with me and I checked out of my hotel this morning," said Finch, who goes into the third round one ahead of Welshman Bradley Dredge. "I just hope they've still got a room for me now."
An eagle and eight birdies enabled the 2002 England amateur champion to knock one stroke off the Castello di Tolcinasco record achieved by Mark Roe and Gregory Havret last year and then matched by Devon's Stuart Little just a few minutes earlier.
At the start of the day Finch still had nine holes of his first round to go Thursday's action was halted by a thunderstorm but teeing off again at 7am he played those in two under for a 69.
Then, with no time for breakfast before his second round began, he moved into overdrive to reach halfway on the 12-under-par total of 132.
Blond-haired Finch, 6ft 2in and nearly 14 and a half stone, is a tour rookie, but commented: "I just hope I can keep playing as I am."
Dredge had four birdies in five holes from the 13th to join him on 12-under, but then three-putted the last for a 66.
Two further back following a 65 stood Paul Broadhurst, who had his first victory for 10 years at the Portuguese Open a month ago.
Among those to get in touch with the 39-year-old from Warwickshire was South African legend Gary Player.
"It's nice to get a letter from anybody, but to get one from someone of his stature is great," said Broadhurst.
Defending champion Graeme McDowell and American star Mark Calcavecchia failed to make the cut.
McDowell closed with a three-putt bogey to miss the qualifying mark by one, while Calcavecchia's eight-stroke improvement on his opening 78 was not enough.
It was not a pointless trip for the 44-year-old of Italian descent, however. Between rounds he got married again at Lake Como.
Best of the Irish is Gary Murphy who shot a 72 yesterday for 139, seven shots off then pace.
Damian McGrane, Philip Walton and Stephen Browne missed the cut.
Happiest man yesterday, though, was France's Julien Van Hauwe, who won a BMW car worth more than £64,000 for holing-in-one at the 206-yard 16th.
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