Colin Montgomerie, bidding to maintain a sequence of winning on The European Tour International Schedule every year since 1993, stepped up his title quest in the Benson and Hedges International Open at The De Vere Belfry. Montgomerie shot a second round 67 for a six under par total of 138 and a share of the halfway lead with Greg Owen and Roger Wessels.
The Scot, 39 next month, moved to the head of an impressive leaderboard with a bogey-free round while Owen, the first round leader, shot a level par 72 and South African Wessels joined the fray with a 69 to match his opening effort.
Montgomerie, with new South African caddie Jason Henning on his bag, is aiming to collect his 27th European Tour title this weekend and he was delighted with his five birdie round over a course where he has yet to taste victory. He said: "No bogeys is the nice thing. It's the first thing I look at in a round.
"My chip-in at the 18th last night gave me the momentum. It's amazing how it continues through dinner and this morning. I've got my distance control back and a 67 in the French Open last week proved something was on the way.
"I'd like to win because this is The Ryder Cup venue. I want to prove to myself and the team that I can compete and am not out to make up the numbers. My ambition is as great as it ever was and any member of the Ryder Cup team winning here would be a huge boost for him and his team-mates."
Owen, striving for his maiden European Tour title, had a mixed bag in his round of 72 with three birdies and three bogeys while Wessels, also searching for his first win on The European Tour after several close calls, accumulated five birdies. Unlike Montgomerie, he made one mistake at the par three 12th which cost him a double bogey five.
The field is packed in tightly behind the trio of leaders, with no fewer than five players tieing for fourth spot, including two men who earned their stripes around the Brabazon Course nine years ago.
Peter Baker and Ian Woosnam were in complete harmony as a Ryder Cup pairing in 1993, securing two victories over the United States. Remarkably the Wolverhampton golfer, on home turf this week in the West Midlands, has not won on The European Tour since that season, but after rounds of 71 and 68 he is right in contention.
Baker fed off the memories of that Ryder Cup and said: "I've been playing shocking this year and I got the video of the Ryder Cup out a couple of years ago. I was trying to gee myself up - I could do it then and I'm the same person.
"I don't know what's happened to me since. I fall into bad habits quickly and you get fed up of playing badly, but I'm determined to try to get back to somewhere near that level."
Resuming on one under, five behind Owen, Baker moved to six under before bogeying the 473yard last, pushing his five iron approach and failing to get up and down.
Alongside Baker is his ‘senior partner’ from 1993,Woosnam, who added a 72 to his opening 67, Michael Campbell of New Zealand, American John Daly and Anthony Wall of England.
Woosnam teed off at 7.20am and said: "I've never liked early mornings and that was very early.
"I absolutely hate it. My back's stiff and it takes me time to warm up and I don't sleep too well because you're thinking about getting up. But hopefully that's my bad round. I battled well."
Daly appeared to have shrugged off any lingering jet-lag and the shock of being told he had suffered a mini-stroke last Saturday. The heavy smoker was taken to hospital for tests when his left leg and left hand went numb, but they revealed he had suffered a reaction to diet pills he was taking. "It scared me to death" he admitted.
