EUROPEAN TOUR: NICK DOUGHERTY put his “shocking” finish to the Wales Open behind him and moved into contention for the BMW International Open in Munich yesterday.

While South African Retief Goosen retained the lead by adding a 68 to his opening 64 — at 12 under par he is now one ahead of Dane Soren Kjeldsen — the 27-year-old from Liverpool grabbed two eagles in a 65 which lifted him from 23rd to joint third with Scot David Drysdale.

And if Dougherty maintains his form over the final two rounds there could be an unexpected bonus in store for him — a place in the British Open at Turnberry.

Made aware that two exempt spots are on offer from a mini-Order of Merit in which he currently lies sixth, Dougherty said: “I’d love to play, but the best way is to stay in the now and I’m trying to win this.”

Three weeks ago at Celtic Manor – the course on which he hopes to make his Ryder Cup debut next year – he shared the lead with a round to play, but then crashed all the way to 37th place with a 79.

“It was an horrific score,” he commented. “I felt like I should have won, but I changed my gameplan a bit and pressed too hard.

“It’s amazing that after eight years on tour you’re still learning things and I certainly learnt from that.”

The first of his eagles came on the 481-yard sixth when he hit the flag with a six-iron and stopped four feet away. Then, only three holes later, he made a 35-footer for another.

Goosen went 33 holes without a bogey, but after dropping a stroke at the 441-yard seventh he closed with his 13th birdie of the week.

“I didn’t really give myself that many chances,” said Goosen. “I hit a lot of putts that didn’t go in. But overall very happy, I’m happy with the round today and kept it together.”

Peter Lawrie is best of the Irish on seven-under-par 137 after a flawless 68 yesterday.

Lawrie was out in 34 with birdies at the seventh and ninth, and back in 34 with two more birdies at the 12th and 14th.

Kjeldsen matched Dougherty’s round just a week after having to pull out of the US Open with an ear infection.

“They wanted to treat it in America, but I wasn’t comfortable with that and so came home,” he said.

“I was given a local anaesthetic so they could drill in and suck out all the infected stuff, then they did it again on Monday before I travelled here.

“It started a few weeks ago when I had a lot of flu. I went up to Turnberry to take a look at the course, but on the flight up my ears went.”

Drysdale has already made two trips to the British Open venue so excited is he about his first major.

“The first time it was flat calm and I thought it was quite easy, then I played it in a hurricane and thought it was impossible,” said the 34-year-old, who back in 1992 played as a marker alongside John Daly on the final day at Muirfield.

“It’s pretty similar to my home course Dunbar except that it’s a thousand yards longer and an awful lot narrower!”

Ten times a visitor to the tour qualifying school, he is enjoying his best season ever with second and third place finishes already and a superb 64 now gives him another chance of his first victory.

Daly, meanwhile, missed the cut on level par, while Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie only just made it through on three under after a 71 containing six birdies, but also five bogeys.

“Ridiculous, silly, crazy” were among the words the 46-year-old – it was his birthday on Tuesday – used to describe his rollercoaster ride.

Going much better was 51-year-old Bernhard Langer, whose second successive 68 for eight under gives him another opportunity to become the oldest winner in tour history.

Langer was full of praise for the game of 20-year-old Rory McIlroy after playing with him for the first time these last two days, but the young Ulsterman is two further back following a 67.

Former European Open champion Kenneth Ferrie finally made his first cut of the season after returning from the US Tour, but it is now three misses out of three for Shane Lowry as a professional following his amazing Irish Open win as an amateur.

Lowry needed one birdie in the last four holes to survive, but instead bogeyed the 15th and 17th.

Gareth Maybin on 139 after a 68, Michael Hoey on 141 after a 71 and Gary Murphy on the same mark after a 70 also made the cut.