Carlberg probably surprised

The wake-up calls weren't requested, but two of Ireland's premier players got them anyway. By co-incidence, both Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington were affected by mobile phones ringing out on the course during yesterday's second round of the West of Ireland Classic at Galway Bay. And, yet, the pair still managed to manoeuvre into strong challenging positions.

A scourge? "Nope, just part of modern day golf," opined McGinley of the mobile menace. "Unfortunately, you have got to put up with it. It's the same for every player on the tour these days, and you have to deal with it.

"Of course it shouldn't happen, but it does, and it is better to treat it like a bad bounce. You can't replay the shot."

McGinley's unwanted encounter with the ringing phone occurred on the 17th green, just as he was attempting to hole a three-footer for par. "Precisely the wrong moment," he said. And he missed the cup by a good two inches.

Nevertheless, McGinley had a solid par finish to get home in 69 for seven-under-par 137, in a tie for third place, to lie two shots adrift of surprise midway leader Eric Carlberg of Sweden.

"I'm not on top of my game by any means," claimed McGinley, "not back to where it should be. Obviously, I'm playing a lot better than I have for the past few months and it is nice to be back in the top five after two rounds.

"If I was coming off a good run, full of confidence, then I might be approaching the weekend differently. But I'm just trying to play the way I have for the first two rounds, and take it from there. I'm more concerned with rebuilding my game for a strong finish to the season."

In contrast, Harrington's ears were alerted as he was at the top of his swing on the sixth fairway. "I suppose I can use it as a convenient excuse," said Harrington, taking it all very philosophically.

"I was faced with 235 yards to the front of the green in a left-toright wind with water on the left and out-of-bounds right. The phone went off on my top swing and I duffed the driver into heavy rough 100 yards short of the green, precisely where I didn't want to be." Harrington proceeded to bogey the sixth - for his third bogey in the opening six holes - but he had six birdies in a second successive round of 69 for six-under-par 138, which also enabled him to get into the thick of the hunt.

"I can't be disappointed with that scoring, but I would like to start holing a few 15-footers," he remarked.

Yet, on a day when a stiff wind blew in off the bay, the scoring was remarkably good. Paul Broadhurst managed to equal the course record 66 to leapfrog up the leaderboard, while the feat had earlier been achieved by Gary Evans, who has battled with an arm injury ever since finishing ninth in the German Open in June.

Evans has managed to make only one cut since then, but yesterday contrived to rediscover his form and jump up to second place, a shot behind Carlberg.

The Swede is in unfamiliar territory. Placed 156th in the Order of Merit, Carlberg is playing in only his fourth full tour event. "This is a big opportunity for me," said Carlberg, who added a second round 67 for 135 to set the pace.

While McGinley and Harrington lead the Irish charge, there was also considerable merit in Des Smyth's second round of 68 to move up to five-under-par 139: he had 30 putts in contrast to 37 in the first round which made all the difference.

Indeed, no fewer than eight Irish players have progressed to the final 36 holes (with a massive 78 survivors in all). Philip Walton recovered from a disastrous opening round 75 to fire 70 yesterday, while Damien Mooney and Gary Murphy, both on level par, and Peter Lawrie, who battled a stomach bug all day, and Eamonn Darcy survived right on the cut mark of two over par.