Garcia still in the running

Sergio Garcia kept alive his hopes for a first win of the season, and second Mallorca Classic title in three years, at Pula Golf Club today.

Garcia carded a second successive round of 70 for a level-par halfway total of 140, just two shots behind clubhouse leader Marc Warren of Scotland.

Only 11 players broke par in the first round and many of the star names in the 120-strong field ran up high scores.

Defending champion Jose Maria Olazabal, who has been redesigning the course for the past three years, crashed to a 78 which included a nine on the 17th, while Ireland’s Padraig Harrington recorded a 77 and 2005 rookie of the year Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano an 84.

Ireland’s Gary Murphy, Sweden’s Niclas Fasth and South African Andrew McLardy shared the overnight lead on four under par and Garcia quickly closed to within three shots of that when play resumed this morning.

Starting from the 10th, the Ryder Cup star birdied the par-four 11th but the bogeyed the 13th before recording 14 successive pars as the forecast strong winds arrived ahead of schedule.

“I knew two rounds of level par would not be that bad because I’ve played here before,” said Garcia, who won four points out of five in Europe’s record-equalling Ryder Cup victory at the K Club last month.

“Ten under par won last year, it’s not a low scoring course and with the changes and the conditions it’s even tougher.

“I think level par is going to be close to the lead, I don’t see many players shooting 66 or 68 out there this afternoon. The best score yesterday afternoon was 69 and the conditions are going to be similar.”

Warren was playing in the group ahead of Garcia and initially failed to take advantage of the calmer conditions for the early starters.

But the 25-year-old from Cambuslang, having started from the 10th, then carded three birdies in six holes from the first to card a 68 and two-under-par halfway total.

“I’m very pleased,” said the former Walker Cup star, who won his maiden European Tour title in the Scandinavian Masters in August.

“You almost have to put the driver away on this course because if you miss the fairways you are in deep trouble.

“It’s so tough out there, if you lose your concentration for one shot it’s a bogey or double bogey.”

With the cut predicted to fall at six over, Harrington and Olazabal still had a chance of being here for the weekend despite their poor first rounds.

But Harrington promptly double-bogeyed the first and dropped another shot at the second to slump to 10 over, while Olazabal started with three pars to remain eight over.

Harrington added the tournament to his schedule after winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to close the gap on Paul Casey at the top of the Order of Merit, with only next week’s Volvo Masters at Valderrama remaining to decide who will succeed Colin Montgomerie as European number one.