Lucky Bennett takes halfway lead

Warren Bennett needed a large slice of luck on the 15th hole to claim the halfway lead in the Volvo Scandinavian Masters yesterday.

Bennett carded a second-round 70 at Kungsangen for a six under total of 136, one clear of the first-round leader, Graeme McDowell, the Swedes Carl Pettersson and Fredrik Andersson, the former Ryder Cup player Ignacio Garrido and the South African Trevor Immelman.

Going for the green on the 295-yard par four, Bennett's tee shot was heading for deep rough when it clattered into a tree and came down 30 yards short of the green, from where he pitched to two feet for an unlikely birdie. "That was my get out of jail free card," said Bennett, who almost quit the game after a bout of pneumonia and a neck injury restricted him to just six starts in 2000.

"It was heading for the jungle, you'd rather be in the water than in there," he said.

That was the last of Bennett's three birdies on a day of high scoring in overcast and windy conditions.

"It's great to be in contention again, the same old juices get flowing," added Bennett, who also had to withdraw from England's World Cup team in Japan late last year with an ankle injury.

Immelman again reaped the dividend of working with Claude Harmon, son of Tiger Woods' coach, Butch. "Claude and I have made a few changes in the last three months since the French Open," said Immelman. "It's all long-term stuff so I'll be able to be more consistent in the future.

"One of the things we've done is to weaken my grip but I found this week I'd gone a bit too far, so I've had to strengthen it up."

The defending champion Colin Montgomerie was surprised to find himself one of more than 20 players within three shots of the lead after adding a 69 to his opening 70.

"I can't believe the cut is over par, it seems crazy but it's the greens. They are not in the best of condition and it's difficult to hole putts on them," said the 39-year-old Scot. "Rounds of 70, 69 is not very good but I'm in the top 15 and poised to challenge.

"If we just keep improving we will be okay. Today I played a lot better. I played the more difficult back nine in two under and the front, which is easy for us, in level which was a bit disappointing, but I am in there and a good round tomorrow will give me a chance of winning this.

"I haven't won for a year and I need to win. The game has not quite been as good as it was but you need to get fortunate.

"It's just a matter of being patient, but that's a horrible word and I'm not very good at it. I'm three behind and I've won from further behind than that."

The former Open champion Paul Lawrie will face Paul Wardell in the final of the Scottish Professional Matchplay Golf Championship at Deeside Golf Club today.

Lawrie stayed at home in the Aberdeen suburbs to play the event, which is less than a mile from his home, rather than join up with the European Tour. Home comforts counted for little, however, as reaching the final proved a tough task early on.

Lawrie had to go to a fifth extra hole in the morning quarter-finals to get the better of Alan Reid but in the semi-final he produced six birdies to beat the former European Tour golfer Ross Drummon three and two.

Lawrie will meet 31-year-old Wardell, who has only once won a Tartan Tour Order of Merit event, and that was a 54-hole stroke-play event five years ago.