Golf: Feherty finds flash of form

DAVID FEHERTY found his form after a rough spell to compile an impressive score of 65 in the second round of the Iberia Open in Madrid yesterday. The Ryder Cup player from Northern Ireland, with an eight-under-par total of 136 at the half-way stage - a shot behind Colin Montgomerie (69) and the Spaniard, Miguel Angel Jimenez (64) - has found himself languishing in 83rd place in the Order of Merit with nine days of the season left.

'I lost my confidence early on and didn't play enough to get it back,' Feherty said. 'Then I played too much, but now I feel like I'm going to hole some putts again.'

Feherty covered the back nine in 34, rattled off four successive birdies from the second, and put the final gloss on his best day's work for ages by pitching dead on the 300-yard eighth.

Scotland's Montgomerie, who, with Mark McNulty, set the first-day pace with a 66, resumed with three birdies in his first five holes, but could make no further move and allowed his playing partner, Jimenez, to catch him with the best round of the day. The 28-year-old from Malaga birdied four of the last five holes.

Cork's John McHenry endured the longest wait of his career after producing a spectacular closing eagle three. The former Walker Cup player, first man out and knowing that if he missed the half-way cut he would lose his European tour card, smashed two woods to within two feet at the 605-yard last to finish on one over. Six hours later the axe fell and he was through with nothing to spare.

IBERIA MADRID OPEN (Puerta de Hierro) Leading second-round scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 135 M A Jimenez (Sp) 71 64; C Montgomerie 66 69. 136 D Feherty 71 65. 137 S Torrance 67 70; J-M Canizares (Sp) 71 66; M McNulty (Zim) 66 71; S Richardson 69 68; E Darcy 68 69; S Luna (Sp) 68 69. 138 R Rafferty 71 67; M Mackenzie 72 66. 139 M Roe 69 70. 140 D Silva (Por) 70 70; P Mitchell 72 68; S Tinning (Den) 71 69; M Sunesson (Swe) 69 71; V Singh (Fiji) 71 69; J Rivero (Sp) 72 68; B Lane 71 69; D Smyth 68 72. 141 P Hall 71 70; T Johnstone (Zim) 70 71; M Allen (US) 73 68; A Murray 68 73; R Boxall 72 69; E Romero (Arg) 74 67; S Bennett 69 72; J Daly (US) 70 71. 142 C Mason 71 71; P Broadhurst 74 68; J Spence 72 70; B Marchbank 73 69; P Lonard (Aus) 69 73; A Forsbrand (Swe) 72 70; J Payne 71 71; A Pinero (Sp) 71 71. Selected: 145 S Lyle 74 71; J McHenry 71 74. 156 T Jacklin 77 79.