Orr back in hunt but Kjeldsen leads

After taking nine at one hole yesterday Scotland’s Gary Orr was back in the hunt for the Diageo Championship at Gleneagles today while Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen leads.

Orr began his second round with two birdies to climb back to one over par, just four behind new leader Soren Kjeldsen.

One of those birdies came at the 516-yard second, where on his first visit Orr had taken off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trouser legs and waded into water like Jean van de Velde at the 1999 Open.

Conditions were only slightly easier this morning and the day’s play began with former Ryder Cup player Mark James running up a quadruple-bogey eight on the 426-yard first hole to slump from four over to eight over.

But Kjeldsen, the 28-year-old Dane who was second in the 1999 Qatar Masters and is 22nd on this season’s Order of Merit, had three birdies in his first five holes to take over at the top.

The three overnight leaders – Scots Alastair Forsyth and Marc Warren and Australian Brad Kennedy – are among the later starters, as are Colin Montgomerie and defending champion Adam Scott on level par.

The first task for Paul Casey and Irish Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley when they resumed on four over was to make sure they survived the halfway cut and both picked up birdies at the 350-yard 11th, their second.

There appeared no hope, however, for Ian Poulter, who after winning the Wales Open and being joint second in the British Masters had collapsed to a first day 83. He parred his first four holes.

4 under : Soren Kjeldsen (Den) (24)

2 under – Alastair Forsyth (after 18 holes), Brad Kennedy (Aus) (18), Marc Warren (18)

1 under – Iain Pyman (18), Gustavo Rojas (Arg) (18), Ivo Giner (Spa) (18)

Level – Colin Montgomerie (18), Adam Scott (Aus) (18)

Others:

1 over – Gary Murphy (18)

2 over – Lee Westwood (18), Philip Walton, Damien McGrane, Graeme McDowell

3 over – Paul McGinley (21), Paul Casey (21)

5 over – Paul Lawrie (18)

6 over – Ronan Rafferty (18)

11 over – Ian Poulter (21), Peter Lawrie (19)