Sport

Swedes to the fore in Moscow

RUSSIAN OPEN: FORMER RYDER Cup player Jarmo Sandelin and Mikael Lundberg continued Sweden's recent success in the Inteco Russian…

Sat Jul 26 2008 - 01:00

RUSSIAN OPEN:FORMER RYDER Cup player Jarmo Sandelin and Mikael Lundberg continued Sweden's recent success in the Inteco Russian Open yesterday by claiming the halfway lead in Moscow.

Both players carded second rounds of 64 to finish 13 under par, one shot ahead of England's Robert Rock, who also returned a 64. Norway's Jan-Are Larsen is a shot further back on 11 under after a 65 but former British Open champion John Daly missed the cut after rounds of 70 and 73.

Lundberg won his only tour title to date in the Russian capital in 2005, while fellow Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson triumphed 12 months ago.

"Maybe it's because we are only two hours away," explained Sandelin. "In fact, I was born in Finland and that's even closer, 10 kilometres from the Russian border. Maybe that's the inspiration."

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Sandelin won the fifth of his European Tour titles in 2002, three years after representing Europe in the Ryder Cup at Brookline, but since then has struggled to reproduce that form and only held onto his tour card at the end of last season by €61.

Starting his second round from the 10th, Sandelin picked up shots at the 11th and 12th and then rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th to reach the turn in 31.

For the second day in succession he bogeyed the first but bounced back with a birdie on the next after chipping within inches of the hole. Sandelin also birdied the sixth and seventh before hitting his tee shot to within inches of the hole on the eighth to make it three in a row.

Rock matched Sandelin's outward half of 31. The 31-year-old then birdied the second and bogeyed the fourth before eagling the par-five fifth and picking up another birdie on the eighth.

England's Danny Willett, the former top-ranked amateur in the world, is four off the lead after a double-bogey six at the 18th in his round of 66. Defending champion Johansson added a 68 to his opening 69 to lie seven under par.

Ireland's Gary Murphy and David Higgins both made the cut. Murphy shot 72 for a three-under tally of 141 while Higgins carded a 70 and is a shot further adrift.