Lehman back on form

American Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman turned last weekend’s poor performance into a distant memory today as he moved into contention for the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

In the European Open – on the K Club course where next year’s match against Europe takes place – Lehman received a two-stroke penalty for being late on the tee on Saturday, then shot rounds of 79 and 84.

“My game is in a real state of disarray,” said the former Open champion. “I can’t ever remember playing so badly. It was unbelievable – everything I could do wrong I did.”

Now back on the course where he won in 1997, the year after his Open triumph at Lytham, Lehman went to the turn in his second round in 33.

Coming on top of an opening 66, he was up to seven under par and in joint third place – one behind South African Richard Sterne and two behind new leader Alastair Forsyth.

The Scot had five successive birdies from the 17th after also setting off again on the back nine and that made seven in nine holes.

He took over at the top from England’s Stuart Little and Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, who were among the later starters on a day when players were wearing black ribbons as a mark of respect to the dead and injured in the London bombings.

Paul Lawrie, six under overnight, double-bogeyed and bogeyed his first two holes, but came back with an eagle at the 13th to stand five under.

Alongside him was Darren Clarke, who after scrambling a bogey on the 10th also eagled the 13th, but Colin Montgomerie dropped back to two under after bogeying the 15th and 17th in an outward 36.

Lehman joined Forsyth on nine under with further birdies at the first and long third, while the 29-year-old from Paisley went to 10 under with an eighth birdie in 11 holes at the fifth, but then bogeyed the 625-yard next.

They were a stroke ahead of Lafeber and two in front of Cabrera, Little, Sterne, Lawrie and also England’s Greg Owen, who after turning in 34 sank his approach to the 455-yard second for an eagle two.

Owen is one of those seeking a place in the Open – after being told yesterday he had missed out on an exempt spot because he withdrew from the qualifier in America last week.