Unlucky 13th for Bennett

Warren Bennett ruined three hours’ good work in 10 horrible minutes in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today.

After taking over the lead from Justin Rose with three birdies in the first 12 holes of his second round the Kent golfer ran up a triple-bogey eight on the 560-yard 13th.

In the thick left rough for two, he hacked it over the green, duffed a chip back and then three--putted.

It sent Bennett crashing down to four under and joint-fourth place, but when he birdied the next he was back into a tie with Tom Lehman, Miles Tunnicliff and Fredrik Jacobson only a stroke behind Rose, one of the day’s later starters.

Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke were in a battle to survive the halfway cut after they went to the turn in 37 and 38 respectively.

The axe was expected to fall on one over and Clarke’s bogeys at the fifth, sixth and ninth put him on that mark, while 1999 winner Montgomerie had birdies at the third and seventh, but also bogeys on the first, fourth and sixth to stand two over.

The day had not begun well for the 39-year-old Scot. His opening drive was a duck hook that travelled barely 200 yards and he could not make the green in two on the 425-yard hole.

Coming off the green Montgomerie was encouraged to ‘‘Keep it going, big man’’ by a compatriot outside the ropes, but he let it be known in reply that keeping it going was the last thing he wanted. He had yet to get going.

At the long sixth he left his pitch way short of the green and only just made it to the putting surface with his chip up the bank.

Going much better was 1997 winner Lehman, who birdied the third, sixth and eighth to give his confidence a real boost on the eve of the Open at Muirfield.

Bennett is relieved to be fit again after pulling out of two recent tournaments with rib trouble.

He was a best-ever 29th on the Order of Merit last season, but an ankle injury forced him to pull out of England’s side for the World Cup in Japan in November and then came the rib problem at the British Masters and Great North Open this summer.

Bennett is down to play the 36-hole final qualifying competition for the Open on Sunday and Monday, but a strong performance at Loch Lomond could spare him that as 15 places are up for grabs.

South African Ernie Els, another ex-champion, stood four under after birdies at the third and fourth, but he then bogeyed the short fifth and ran up a double bogey seven at the sixth to stand one under.