McDowell leads as Garcia finishes with flourish

Graeme McDowell and Sergio Garcia turned on the style today to keep alive their hopes of winning the European Open at The London Club in Kent.

Resuming two strokes behind Ross Fisher – one of the second round’s afternoon starters – McDowell added a 67 to his opening 65 to set the clubhouse target of 12 under par.

Playing partner Garcia, however, finished eagle-birdie for a sparkling 64 and climbed into joint second place with Fisher on nine under.

The pair were round in a better-ball of 60.

It was not such a good day, though, for Justin Rose, who double-bogeyed the 18th as he failed to make the move into contention he was looking for.

McDowell wasted little time making his mark when play resumed, following a 25-foot putt on the short 11th with further birdies at the two back nine par fives, the 12th and 15th.

He did bogey two holes later, but the outward half brought more birdies on the second, fourth and seventh before he missed a seven-foot chance at his last.

Garcia, joint 30th overnight on one under, turned in 32, but saved his best for the end of his round in his first tournament on European soil since the Volvo Masters last November and his first in Britain since he lost a play-off for the Open to Padraig Harrington last July.

In two weeks’ time, of course, the 28-year-old Spaniard will be trying to make amends for that huge disappointment and, having won the Players Championship in Florida in May, he is fancied by many to do just that – especially in the injury absence of Tiger Woods.

McDowell is also exempt for Royal Birkdale and at 11th in the Ryder Cup standings has a great chance to earn a debut in America in September.

Paul McGinley, striving for a top-five finish to earn a late Open spot, was in fourth place at seven under with one to go, while 48-year-old South African David Frost, trying again to become the European Tour’s oldest winner, was one further back after going in the water on the third – his 12th – for a bogey four.

Playing partner Rory McIlroy, the 19-year-old Ulsterman who was top amateur in last year’s Open, also needs to qualify for Birkdale, but after starting with a 67 he had slipped back to four under and joint eighth with six to play.

McDowell said: "It's always difficult to follow up a good day at the office, so today's round probably gave me more satisfaction.

“My job was to keep the foot on the pedal and keep it going. I’ll take 12 under at halfway every week, whether it leads or not, and I fully expect to be in the mix come Sunday afternoon.”

Fisher cut the gap to two with a birdie at the short third, while Colin Montgomerie and Ian Poulter both birdied the first to be three under.