Bjorn blows outright lead in Paris

Denmark’s Anders Hansen found himself still at the top of the leaderboard after compatriot Thomas Bjorn suffered a poor finish to his second round of the Alstom Open de France.

After fog at Le Golf National outside Paris meant a one-hour delay this morning, Bjorn had wasted little time in overtaking Hansen with three birdies in his first five holes and was two clear of the field with two holes to play.

However, bogeys at the eighth and ninth meant Bjorn had to settle for a second round of 69 to finish five under alongside Hansen, who was still an hour away from beginning his second round.

Bjorn’s playing partner Graeme McDowell was a shot behind after a second consecutive 69, with Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and 2007 winner Graeme Storm also safely in the clubhouse on four under after rounds of 70 and 68 respectively.

Starting from the 10th, Bjorn had birdied his opening hole and then holed from eight feet on the 13th and just two feet on the par-five 14th, where McDowell’s ball was already nestled just inches from the cup.

A poor bunker shot on the 18th cost Bjorn a bogey five, but he hit back with birdies on the third and fifth before another visit to sand on the eighth produced a bogey four and three putts on the par-five ninth compounded his frustration.

McDowell had missed the cut in five of his last six strokeplay events before this week but insisted he would not be pressing the panic button, especially as that stretch included victory in the RBC Heritage and at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria.

The former US Open champion carded three birdies and just one bogey in his 69, the dropped shot coming after he found the same bunker as Bjorn on the eighth.

McDowell was delighted to be in contention, telling Sky Sports 1: “I’m playing this golf course the way it’s supposed to be played – fairways and greens. Once you start hitting it off line it will punish you.

“I just have not got the putter revved up but I am well in touch and right where I need to be. It’s been a rough couple of months for me. I’ve not been playing the kind of golf I’d like to and the key to this week was to come and get myself in the mix for the weekend and get some of the juices flowing again.

“I’m excited for the weekend and to make a cut really. It feels like a step in the right direction.

“I certainly know what to do when I put myself in these positions. I just have not had the opportunity to do it lately. I’m probably on one of my worst missed cut runs in a while. It’s nice to break that, first and foremost, and be on the leaderboard.”