Golf European and US tours: There is a "win-your-weight-in-cheese" bonus for taking the Italian Open title here at Gardagolf tomorrow and it could add up to an awful lot of parmigiano if the halfway leaderboard is any guide.

Tipping the scales at over 14st is the Australian Peter O'Malley, who added a 70 yesterday to go 10-under-par on 134 for a share of the lead with the Swede Fredrik Widmark, who shot 65. Another in that weight bracket is the Dutchman Rolf Muntz, just a stroke behind after a 66.

A third big hitter lies two strokes further back in the shape of Colin Montgomerie, who raised his hopes of re-establishing himself as the big cheese in Europe with two twos and a 60-foot eagle three in his last five holes for a 67 and a seven-under total of 137.

More pertinently it was the Scot's first sub-70 tournament round in seven starts this year

Afterwards Montgomerie was not ruling out an overdue return to form. "I've got to straighten out my driving, though. I blew it way right at the 15th and hooked it 30 yards left at the last. Missing so many fairways makes it a struggle," he said. "It was a lesson in staying patient."

The Irish challenge is led by Damien McGrane, who added a fine, four-under-par 68 to his opening 73 to lie in joint 38th spot on three under. And Philip Walton found a touch of form and dropped only one shot on his way to a 69 to share 48th spot on two under. He is joined on that mark by Gary Murphy after a disappointing 73.

Widmark birdied two of the last three holes to card a 65 and set the clubhouse target at 10 under par, later matched by O'Malley after the Australian added a 70 to his course record-equalling 64 on Thursday.

On the US Tour, Japanese rookie Akio Sadakata fired an eight-under-par 64 in New Orleans to share the first-round lead with Paul Stankowski at the $5 million PGA HP Classic at English Turn GC.

Guardian Service