Payne and Rocca move into lead after another tough day

THINGS aren't always quite as they appear. The same dark clouds hovered over the clubhouse and, as if the course itself wasn't tough enough, a southerly wind once again acted as nature's agent in upsetting the players' swing rhythms in the £750,000 Smurfit European Open at The K Club, Straffan, yesterday.

Yet, despite the similarity to Thurday's conditions, the real second round moves were made by different players and, by the conclusion of another intriguing day's golf, Jim Payne and Costantino Rocca shared the midway lead on seven under par 137, one shot clear of a trio which included overnight pacesetter Padraig Harrington.

The most significant move of all, however, was made by former Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst. A mere 24 hours after Harrington established a new course record, the 31-year-old Englishman also shot a 65 a remarkable feat performed in the tougher afternoon conditions - to join Harrington and in-form Spaniard Miguel Angel Martin on the 138 mark.

An indication of the good scoring, despite the weather conditions, is that 40 players managed to better par at the midway stage. Still, when the cut came on three over par 147, all of the noted "big guns had survived, one of them - Colin Montgomerie - right on the limit, with Ian Woosnam just a shot better off.

Montgomerie, chasing the Harry Vardon Trophy for topping the Order of Merit for a record equalling fourth consecutive time, had the closest shave of all, birdieing the last to stay around for the weekend, while British Open champion Tom Lehman moved through the field with a 69 for one under par 143. It would have been even better but for a double bogey six at the eighth, his 17th.

Yet again, players with early tee-times benefited most from the weather conditions. The wind picked up as the day progressed and heavy rain occasionally doused players and spectators alike. Undeterred, Broadhurst shot his superb 65 which featured an eagle, six birdies and a sole bogey: "It's turning out to be a good week," he said.

Broadhurst is no stranger to bow scoring. He shot a 65 at Royal Lytham and St Annes in the second round of the British Open in July; fired a course record 62 in the German Open, and had a 64 (one shot outside his own course record) in the French Open. "I'm working constantly with my coach Bill Ferguson," he said. "Last week, in Scotland, we worked particularly hard on rhythm. I tend to get very quick on the backswing and Bill has managed to slow me down."

He had a slight touch of good fortune at the 18th. "I aimed at the bunker with my approach" he admitted. However, the ball kicked in to six feet and he holed she resultant six-foot eagle putt, which earned him two cases of Jameson whiskey. Indeed, that particular promotion is proving to be extremely popular with the players and no less than eight of them responded by securing eagles there in the second round.

In the overall picture, Harrington is still very much in the hunt. "It was a tough day," he admitted, after signing for a second round 73. "I started out a little bit negative, hitting for the fat of the green. I was leading the tournament and that was a factor in how I approached things."

At just one shot off the pace, however, it was a satisfactory day's work and Harrington - who got engaged to Caroline Gregan on Thursday night - beads a gang of seven Irishmen doing into the final two rounds. The host club's touring professional Raymond Burns (69 for 141) is next best of the home contingent with Jimmy Heggarty, David Higgins, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke and Eamonn Darcy also surviving.

An indication of Harrington's safety-first approach came at the opening three holes where he hit nine iron, eight iron, eight iron, into the fat of the respective greens. "It was a reasonably good score for the way I played," said a candid Harrington. Indeed, his survival instincts were most prominent at the 16th where he was forced to take a penalty drop after pushing his drive into the drain, flirted with danger when barely clearing the lake with his third and then pitched and putted for a bogey five.

Joint leaders Payne and Rocca had enjoyed somewhat easier conditions earlier in the day, Nevertheless, Payne's 69 and Rocca's 70 - for seven under par 137 - didn't exactly please their masters. The Italian, in particular, missed numerous birdie opportunities. "It was a disappointing day, I missed too many chances," lamented Rocca.

Payne, too, felt he could have holed a couple more birdie putts but was still happy to be back in the frame. Prior to his Italian Open win in May, the likeable Englishman appeared destined to battle for his card. Last year, he underwent an operation to fuse two vertebrae together in his lower back.

At one stage, Lehman seemed set to make a dramatic move up the leaderboard. Starting at the tenth, the 37-year-old American - "the sluggishness I felt in the first round had almost disappeared," he said - had moved to five under par for the day, including a hat-trick of birdies from the third.

However, a missed four-footer to make it four birdies in a row upset his concentration a little. "It killed my momentum," he admitted. And he paid the penalty at the eighth where he pushed his drive into the rough, failed to make the green with his recovery, pitched on in three and three putted for a double bogey six.

Montgomerie is another who enjoys tough conditions. It was touch and go whether or not he would be around for the final two days, but he made it with a birdie on the 18th. He then admitted: "I don't think I will set out to top the Order of Merit again. It puts too much pressure on everyone. Myself. My family. My caddy. If it happens in the future, so be it. But I won't start a season aiming to top the rankings again."