It was not quite the falling-out we had suspected. In fact Colin Montgomerie was suffering physical rather than mental pain on one of his favourite courses, where he dramatically relinquished the halfway lead in the Murphy's Irish Open yesterday, to a most improbable trio.

With Ireland's John McHenry heading the field on four-underpar, alongside Zimbabwe's Tony Johnstone and the unknown American, Craig Hainline, Montgomerie revealed that he was nursing a damaged right foot on the way to a 74. "It happened while I was signing autographs after Thursday's round," he said.

The winner at Druids Glen for the last two years went on to explain: "As a result of signing and walking at the same time, I didn't look where I was going and tripped over a stone. I twisted my ankle badly and tore a ligament in my right foot and, without proper balance, the last fairway I hit was the 10th."

From then onwards, Montgomerie had to scramble a par at the relatively easy, long 11th. Almost inevitably, he found trouble on the 13th where a pulled drive and later a free-drop off a bridge, led to a bogey five. But the real damage was done at the 15th, where he hit his second into water to run up a triple bogey seven.

Yet his mood afterwards was remarkably buoyant. Indeed there was a generous ring to his voice as he said of McHenry: "I've played a lot of amateur golf with John and I'm delighted to see him up there." And what of Hainline? "I played with him in the last round of the French Open and I'm delighted to see him there too," replied the Scot with a grin, suddenly realising that they could hardly be considered worldbeaters.

But Johnstone, the 1992 Volvo PGA champion, is a doughty fighter. And with a 67 that equalled the best of the day, he had the distinction of carding a birdie at the notorious 13th for a second successive round. He mistakenly used a driver off the tee on Thursday and finished only four yards from the water, but he went on to sink a 20-foot birdie putt. Yesterday, a more prudent three wood also left him with a seven-iron approach and this time, he sank a 15-footer. Despite all the whinging about the severity of the course, however, the cut of 147 - five over par - was actually only one strike higher than last year. And there was an undeniable stamp of quality about the survival of Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo, playing partners of Philip Walton who was on a formidable Irish casualty list numbering 22.

Standing on the 17th tee, the two former winners were six-overpar for the tournament. That was where Woosnam carded a birdie two to ease his way into the weekend. Faldo had to wait until the last, by which stage the pressure had increased considerably.

A poor drive left him with an approach of 220 yards, uphill, through trees and over water. And with a glorious fairway wood shot, reminiscent of his winning effort at Doral in 1995, he left the ball four feet below the hole - and made the putt for a round of 72. Ernie Els made predictable progress after a second successive round of level par. But the strain of coping with a stubborn challenge appeared to test his patience, judging by the manner in which he threw a club towards his caddie, Ricky Roberts, at the 10th, after an attempted recovery from rough.

Meanwhile, even with Johnstone's progress, Montgomerie realised that his half-way situation was immeasurably better than it might have been after his worst score in 10 competitive rounds here. "One behind is not a bad position to be in," he said. "I'm still favourite in my own eyes and I'm very much looking forward to the weekend."

After further treatment he was determined last night to continue playing, contrary to medical advice. "We need to get the painkillers right - they had worn off today by the 10th," he said.

Though he made no mention of playing-partner Lee Westwood, the lack of progress by the Englishman would have been a further boost. Indeed it was remarkable that on the way to a 73, Europe's top player this year failed to card a birdie since the fifth (his 14th) on Thursday, a run of 22 holes.

Sergio Garcia also had to settle for a 73 and he, too, suffered on the greens. "I played well, probably better than in the first round," he said with some justification, having missed only three greens and five fairways.

These tales of woe served simply to enhance the splendid effort by McHenry, who is currently fighting for his life as a tournament professional. "I know I can compete with these guys," he said. "The real test is to do it for four days."

It seems remarkable that a player who has had to struggle, often without success, to retain playing rights, should be the most successful Irish competitor in this event in recent years. And it is clearly down to having the right mental attitude. "I always get myself psyched up to play in the Irish Open," he said. And it shows.

Starting on the 10th, he had soon consolidated his position in red figures with a birdie at the long 11th, where he recovered from the new greenside bunker on the front right, to eight feet. His decision to revert to the broomhandle putter this week was further endorsed when a 20-footer found the target at the 12th.

A wayward drive at the 15th, cost him a stroke, but the quality of his approach play left little to be desired. So it was that on the front nine, his homeward journey, he could set up further birdies at the third (six feet), long fifth (two putts from 25 feet) and at the seventh, where he wedged to 10 feet.