Madrid Masters:PAUL McGINLEY took another small step on the arduous road back to the highest level when he plotted his way to an error-free, six-under-par 66 at the treacherous Real Sociedad Hípica Club de Campo to lurk just a stroke off the lead in the Madrid Masters.

It was the first sub-70 round the 43-year-old Dubliner has posted for two months, leaving him tied for fourth place with Dutchman Maarten Lafeber on a day when England’s Luke Donald and the Welsh duo of Jamie Donaldson and Rhys Davies posted seven- under-par 65s to lead the field.

Like the Welshmen, McGinley would love to play a leading role in Colin Montgomerie’s European team to take on the United States at Celtic Manor in October.

Yet while Montgomerie is keen to have the dogged Dubliner by his side as a vice-captain, McGinley still clings to the hope he can play well enough this summer to be considered for one of the Scot’s three wildcards.

While he knows it’s a long shot, he’s determined to give it a whirl.

“I have just come back from a long injury so the chances of me making the team on points are very slim,” said McGinley, who is ranked 75th in the qualifying race, more than 800,000 points behind last-man Paul Casey.

“My best chance of making it is probably a pick.”

Initially opposed to Montgomerie’s decision to increase the number of wildcards from two to three, McGinley has unsurprisingly changed his tune.

“I am probably glad now that Monty has three picks, but in order to get one I am going to have to do something very substantial over the summer,” he said

There was little wind to trouble the field on an overcast but hot Madrid day and McGinley took full advantage, missing just two fairways and two greens as he outscored Nick Dougherty (69) and Simon Dyson (70) – two of the players he captained in last autumn’s Vivendi Trophy win in Paris.

Starting on the back nine, he birdied the 12th and 13th from close range and then chipped in from heavy greenside rough for an eagle at the 16th to turn in four under par.

He moved into the lead with a two putt birdie at the par-five third, got up and down from 80 yards to save par at the fourth, then drained a 60-foot birdie putt at the par-three seventh before finishing with a couple of solid pars.

“The great thing was no bogeys,” said McGinley, who hit 16 greens in regulation.

“Last week at Wentworth I made 17 birdies and finished on two over. I made too many bogeys, but today I had none, which is always nice.”

Co-leader Donald shook off the disappointment of the 71st-hole double bogey that cost him victory in last week’s PGA, recovering from an opening bogey to card two eagles and four birdies in his 65 as playing partners Sergio Garcia (72) and Martin Kaymer (71) disappointed.

As for the rest of the Irish in action, Graeme McDowell got to three under after eight holes but bogeyed the 12th to slip back into the pack before finishing eagle, bogey, birdie for a 68 that leaves him just three off the pace.

“I just got a bit out of my rhythm with the slow pace of play and it is easy to get impatient,” McDowell said. “It was nice to chip in for eagle there on 16. It could have been better than four under but it could have been one or two under as well, so I’m happy enough and playing well.”

Damien McGrane and Shane Lowry carded a pair of patient 69s as Peter Lawrie posted a fighting 71 by storming back from three over after seven with four birdies in six holes from the ninth.

Gary Murphy shot 73 and needs to go low today to avoid a fifth successive missed cut while adopted Irishman Simon Thornton shot a disappointing 77.

65 – J Donaldson, L Donald, R Davies

66 – M Lafeber (Ned), P McGinley (Ire)

67 – F Molinari (Ita), J Sandelin (Swe), P Price, J Edfors (Swe), B Rumford (Aus), M F Haastrup (Den), N Fasth (Swe), B Dredge

68 – A Velasco (Spa), T Aiken (Rsa), P Baker, L Oosthuizen (Rsa), J Guerrier (Fra), E Tage Johansen (Nor), R Finch, M Brier (Aut), B Hebert (Fra), G Havret (Fra), R McGowan

69 – D McGrane (Ire), D Lee (Nzl), S Dodd, S Lowry (Ire), C Nilsson (Swe), S Kapur (Ind), N Dougherty, R McEvoy, S Manley, A Quiros (Spa), R Jacquelin (Fra), D Vancsik (Arg), C Suneson (Spa), D Drysdale, S Gallacher, T Goya (Arg), E Canonica (Ita), L Gagli (Ita)

70 – P Sjoland (Swe), S Dyson, G Coetzee (Rsa), J Manuel Lara (Spa), T Jaidee (Tha), S E bebb, R Rock, J Ruth, M Foster

71 – J Huldahl (Den), S Hansen (Den), M Kaymer (Ger), SSP Chowrasia (Ind), G Lockerbie, J Elson, D Dixon, I Garrido (Spa), M Fraser (Aus), F Andersson Hed (Swe) 72 – J Parry, S Garcia (Spa), D Howell, J Campillo (Spa), M Siem (Ger), R Echenique (Arg), P Hedblom (Swe), D Lynn, M Brown (Nzl), J Quesne (Fra), M Jonzon (Swe), C Nirat (Tha), S Little, D Suazo (Spa) 73 – J-B Gonnet (Fra), R Bland, G Orr, K Ferrie, G Storm, A Kang (US), S Hutsby, G Boyd, S Gross Jnr (Ger), R Quiros (Spa), P Lawrie, W Liang (Chn) 74 – R Coles, M Ruiz (Par), S Hend (Aus), P Archer, P Edberg (Swe), S Drummond, R Cabrera Bello (Spa) 75 – R Gonzalez (Arg), F Aguilar (Chi), S Webster, A Marshall, C Balmaseda (Spa), G Fdez-Castano (Spa), P Oriol (Spa) 76 – F Ohlsson (Swe), A McArthur, A Canete (Arg), P Broadhurst. 77 – N Cheetham, S Strange (Aus), S Thornton (Ire) 79 – J-F Lucquin (Fra), J Colomo (Spa), C Rodiles (Spa), J Simon (Spa) 80 – M Campbell (Nzl), J Randhawa (Ind) 81 – M Lundberg (Swe) Rtd: J-F Lima (Por) Wd: Andrew Tampion (Aus) 83 Dq: Hennie Otto (Rsa) 78