Jimenez overcomes putter problems to share lead in Bahrain

Miguel Angel Jimenez hit back from breaking his putter into two pieces by taking a remarkable share of the second-round lead at the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain today.

Using his lob-wedge on the closing greens, the 47-year-old Spaniard had a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th for a seven-under-par 65.

It put Jimenez 11 under with Ryder Cup team-mates Edoardo Molinari and Peter Hanson and also France’s Raphael Jacquelin.

Molinari birdied the first six holes starting on the back nine and finished with another, Jacquelin signed for a 65 as well and Hanson added a 67 to his opening 66.

England’s Paul Casey was on the same mark until he drove into water on the 17th, but he chipped in to salvage a bogey and was only one behind along with Northern Irishman Darren Clarke, South African James Kingston and also Scot Stephen Gallacher thanks to a course record-equalling 64.

Sergio Garcia’s 69 kept him in the hunt at eight under, while Padraig Harrington was five under and Colin Montgomerie and Ian Poulter improved three strokes on their first-day 72s to survive the cut.