Spanish duo lead the way

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 and arguably the continent’s top two prized fighters 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 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 from Hemel Hempstead 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 danger 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.