Davis makes his mark

England World Cup golfer Brian Davis continued his eventful month when he moved into a share of the lead at the French Open today.

Two strokes behind when he resumed at 7.40am at Le Golf National the Londoner birdied the first and third to join overnight pacesetters Philip Golding, Nicolas Colsaerts and French amateur Eric Chaudouet at six under par. But he then bogeyed the next.

On the course Davis will remember June for the United States Open. He flew to Chicago and qualified, then flew home again both for the British Masters and to see his wife Julie, taken into hospital for tests after collapsing while he was away.

Then he flew back to the States and in the first major he had ever played there started eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie to be five under par and clear leader.

It did not go on like that, not surprisingly, and he eventually finished 61st. But then came another adventure.

During the night flight home Davis’ next door neighbour in first-class woke him to say that he could smell something.

It turned out to be a fire in the under-carriage. While those in economy slept on Davis watched for two and a half hours as carpets and floor were ripped up near him and the seriousness of the situation was assessed.

Eventually the decision was taken to land in Nova Scotia, where Davis spent a full day before being able to get home.

“It was very worrying on the plane and I was very glad to get on the ground,” he said. “But compared to Chicago it was freezing and I slept in all my clothes to try to keep warm.”

The incident was Davis’ second air scare in less than a year. A propeller stopped on a light plane he was in last September flying from Germany to Switzerland and an emergency landing had to be made then.

Australian Stephen Leaney, runner-up in the US Open, was also on that flight.

Ryder Cup Dane Thomas Bjorn set off again with two birdies to move to four under, while Yorkshire’s former British amateur champion Iain Pyman, back full-time on tour now after losing his card, was on the same mark after two birdies and a bogey in his first four holes.