European Tour rookie Scott Jamieson battled back from a shaky start to set the early clubhouse target in the second round of the Open de España in Barcelona.
After opening with a pace-setting 66 in only his 11th event on The European Tour, the 27 year old Scot had three bogeys in his first six holes but then birdied the seventh, 12th and 16th to return to six under par with a 72.
“I didn’t have the best of starts,” admitted Jamieson. “I fell into fairway bunkers and couldn’t reach the greens. After that, I kept falling into bunkers but managed three birdies:
“The bunkers are well placed on this course, but I didn’t strike the ball as well as yesterday.
“Today we had more wind than yesterday, but that’s no excuse, as I am used to strong winds at home in Scotland and in the US. Today the course played a couple of shots harder than yesterday, and not even that if you strike the ball properly.”
Pablo Larrazábal, playing on his home El Prat course, and South African Thomas Aiken were quick to join Jamieson out in front when they teed off again.
Former Open de France champion Larrazabal birdied the long second while Aiken, back this week from a seven-week lay-off, resumed on the back nine and picked up strokes at the tenth and 14th.
Indian Jeev Milkha Singh was another who started with a 67, but he fell back to three under with a 74.
Title favourite Miguel Angel Jiménez, second to World Number One Lee Westwood in Korea on Sunday, was on the same mark but then double-bogeyed the eighth - his 17th - and had to settle for a 72 and one under aggregate.
Colin Montgomerie had hopes of being right in the thick of things as well when he resumed two under, but he followed an opening birdie with three bogeys in the next five and by parring in from there handed in a 74 and level par total - the same as his successor as Europe's Ryder Cup Captain, Jose Maria Olazábal.
