Sheffield's Mark Roe, winner nine years ago at Saint-Nom-La Brèteche in Paris, moved smoothly into the second round lead of this year’s Trophée Lancôme – despite fears that he might not be able to tee up due to the effects of a nasty wasp sting.
Roe's place in the tournament was in doubt overnight after his left wrist swelled up badly following the sting, but after being given anti-histamines, the 38 year old had five birdies in his first 11 holes and fired a second successive 66 for a ten under par total of 132.
The Englishman, who missed the last six months of the 1999 season and all of 2000 due to injury, leads by a shot from Sergio Garcia of Spain and England's Anthony Wall, by two from South African Jean Hugo and Steve Webster with defending champion Retief Goosen a further stroke away.
Garcia followed his opening 68 with a 65 for 133, a score and total emulated by Wall, who had seven birdies from the sixth.
Hugo tagged a 68 onto his first round 66 while Fasth compiled a solid 66 - despite a bogey at the last - and Goosen could not follow up his first round 64 with another sub-70 score. He ended the day with a level par 71.
Roe, 131st in the Volvo Order of Merit and needing to climb into the top 115 places to avoid a return to the Qualifying School, had been given anti-histamines to combat the effect of the wasp sting. In the event, Roe justified his decision to carry on by shooting six birdies and a bogey in his round.
As well as winning three times on The European Tour and representing England in the Alfred Dunhill and World Cups he was hit on the head by a shot from an amateur in 1995 and two years ago tore tendons in his fingers when he grabbed the collar of his dog at home and it lurched away.
Garcia, a double winner in the United States this season and a wild card to play in the rescheduled Ryder Cup Matches at The De Vere Belfry in a year’s time, made an indifferent start, dropping strokes at the second and third. However the young Spaniard exploded into life from that point.
He birdied eight of the next ten holes to threaten Roe’s position. A bogey at the 14th was followed by a birdie at the 16th and he finished just one behind the Englishman but in a strong challenging position.
Hugo, a prominent figure in the Compass Group English Open earlier in the season, made a powerful surge with five birdies in the first 13 holes, but with the leadership of the tournament within his sights he then bogeyed two of the closing five.
Fasth, who is due to become a father for the first time next week, was in fine fettle, shooting seven birdies before that closing hole birdie put the only blemish on his card.
