Haeggman off to a flyer

Joakim Haeggman, joint holder of the European tour record for nine holes, had a chance to at least match it today when he resumed the Madrid Open with five successive birdies.

The spectacular burst took the Swede from two over par to three under, four behind overnight leader Julien Clement, who was among the second round’s later starters.

Haeggman had a nine-under-par 27 on the front nine of the Old Course at St Andrews in the 1997 Dunhill Cup and equalled the mark set by Jose Maria Canizares in 1978. Robert Lee, now part of the Sky television commentary team, is the only other player to have achieved it and did it not only in 1985, but again two years later.

The 35-year-old, who just missed out on a Ryder Cup return last month after a 11-year gap, was playing the shorter back nine of Club de Campo and its par of 35 meant he needed to birdie three of the last four holes for another 27.

Clement’s position at the top of the leaderboard was coming under threat from a number of players, with England’s Paul Broadhurst, Welshman Bradley Dredge, Australian Nick O’Hern and Spaniard Jesus Maria Arruti joining Swede Johan Edfors in second place on five under.

Colin Montgomerie, however, played his first six holes in one over and slipped to two over.

Broadhurst had every sympathy for those battling to save their European tour careers this week. The 39-year-old former Ryder Cup player has re-established himself on the circuit these last two seasons after being forced back to the qualifying school in 2001 and 2002.

Broadhurst, 52nd on the Order of Merit, opened with a 67 yesterday and this morning birdied the short 11th, his second hole.

Broadhurst went second on his own only a stroke behind Clement when he also birdied the long 14th.

Kent’s Jamie Spence, 120th on the money list and needing to climb at least four places to keep his card, boosted his hopes with birdies at the second, fourth, sixth and seventh to stand four under.

Simon Wakefield, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, is in the 116th and last card-saving spot as things stand and a bogey at the eighth returned him to level par, the likely cut mark.