Woosnam tested by 'wee breeze'

For two days at the Scottish Open, a westerly has swept across the Carnoustie links. A "wee breeze" the locals call it. Lee Westwood is not impressed. "If anyone else tells me this is a 'wee breeze', I think I'll throttle them," he said. The steward on the 16th hole had a lucky escape. Westwood finished with a 74, about par for the day, and is three over for the tournament, the same score as Colin Montgomerie after he shot a 77.

The Scot finished three behind the level-par scores of Ian Woosnam, Russell Claydon and Jay Townsend. The latter two both shot their second successive 72s. Only three players broke par: Peter Baker, Greg Turner and Mats Hallberg with 71s. Woosnam, who started the day two under with Montgomerie, was happy with his 74.

Carnoustie is a handful on a calm day, and some of the pin placements were out of the mischievous department of the European Tour. "It is not often I am pleased with a 74, but I am today," said the Welshman, who in contrast with his bogey-bogey finish on Wednesday, birdied 16 and 17 thanks to a late alteration in his putting set-up.

"It is a game of patience and you just try to hang on. I'm not thinking of winning. Anything can happen at any time. Four over could win if the wind keeps blowing."

Montgomerie went to the turn in 40 and despite making birdies on the two par-fours on the back nine, the 12th and 14th, was back in 37. He complained of finding some unfortunate lies, but at the last two holes had only himself to blame. "I'm a great believer in tough courses. Well, I was," he said. "I didn't drive the ball well, but I'm still in with a shout of winning."

For the second day running, Carl Mason suffered a sad demise. On Wednesday the 1994 champion finished bogey, double-bogey. Yesterday the 43-year- old closed with four bogeys in a row after getting to two under late in the day. The wind had dropped, but only to turn in the opposite direction.

With the half-way cut rising to nine over par, comfortably a record for the season, a famous trio of Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance and Ernie Els will be playing the last two rounds.

Anders Forsbrand, who shot a 79 in the first round, withdrew yesterday with an injury to his right wrist after playing five holes of his second round before pulling out. The Swede said the injury to ligaments in his wrist could keep him out of next week's Open at Royal Lytham, but he hoped to play.

While all around were less than agog with the conditions, the man from Gog Magog, near Cambridge, is anchored down by a substantial frame, more so than Montgomerie. Claydon does not follow the Monty diet and produced the closing stretch of the day. He reduced the 512-yard 14th to a drive and a pitching wedge, holing a putt from 25 feet for an eagle. Then he hit a two-iron to a foot at the 17th and an eight-iron to five feet at the last.

Claydon's incentive this week is a place in the Open and he can secure one by being one of the top-five finishers who are not already exempt. Townsend would also appreciate giving final qualifying a miss. He has tried seven times to get through but has never made it. "I have never had much success on links courses," said Townsend, who plays the European Tour from a Florida base. "The boys over here grew up with it, while I'm still learning. It would be great to play in the Open. It's the biggest championship in the world, which is some statement coming from an American."

Of Townsend's compatriots who play the US Tour and are visiting for the first time, Paul Goydos shot one of four rounds of 85. The US amateur champion, Tiger Woods, shot a respectable 75, as did Jim Furyk, a man who has a swing that on a calm day looks like he is playing in a gale. He finished at 15 over and said: "These Scots must be a hard lot to play in this for fun. Does the par change with the seasons? It must be up to 82 in winter."

SCOTTISH OPEN (Carnoustie) Complete second-round scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 144 J Townsend (US) 72 72, R Claydon 72 72, I Woosnam 70 74. 145 P Baker 74 71, P Lawrie 71 74. 146 R Allenby (Aus) 71 75, M Hallberg (Swe) 75 71, C Mason 72 74, S Grappasonni (It) 74 72. 147 G Turner (NZ) 76 71, P Broadhurst 71 76, L Westwood 73 74, C Montgomerie 70 77, S Richardson 72 75. 148 P O'Malley (Aus) 73 75, M Mackenzie 72 76, B Estes (US) 72 76, R Muntz (Neth) 78 70. 149 R Karlsson (Swe) 75 74, P Mitchell 75 74, P Fulke (Swe) 77 72, E McIntosh 76 73, D Hospital (Sp) 75 74, J Coceres (Arg) 72 77, J Rivero (Sp) 71 78, M James 74 75, T Johnstone (Zim) 77 72, S Cage 73 76, P Price 74 75. 150 A Collison 72 78, A Coltart 74 76, D Smyth 75 75, T Gogele (Ger) 74 76, D Borrego (Sp) 72 78, P Moloney (Aus) 72 78. 151 C Suneson (Sp) 75 76, D Robertson 76 75, G Brand Jnr 74 77, E Romero (Arg) 80 71, M Gates 76 75, P McGinley 75 76, A Sherborne 76 75, J Payne 79 72, D Gilford 74 77, R Boxall 74 77, M McLean 74 77. 152 B Hughes (Aus) 78 74, B Marchbank 76 76, J Parnevik (Swe) 74 78, S McAllister 78 74, M Gronberg (Swe) 76 76, C Cevaer (Fr) 76 76, R Goosen (SA) 75 77, R Russell 76 76, D Feherty 74 78, R Drummond 73 79, M Farry (Fr) 76 76, D Curry 75 77, D J Russell 71 81. 153 N Briggs 75 78, P Eales 78 75, R Rafferty 77 76, S Torrance 76 77, S Lyle 79 74, E Els (SA) 76 77, T Tolles (US) 76 77, P Sjoland (Swe) 75 78, A Oldcorn 77 76, K Eriksson (Swe) 73 80, O Karlsson (Swe) 74 79, E Darcy 76 77. Non-qualifiers: 154 P Senior (Aus) 73 81, P-U Johansson (Swe) 79 75, P Harrington 76 78, D Scott 77 77, S Field 79 75, D A Russell 78 76, S Ames (Tri) 74 80, A Tait 75 79, D Carter 77 77, M Mouland 78 76. 155 D Clarke 80 75, T Planchin (Fr) 78 77, I Pyman 76 79, M Miller 79 76, P Linhart (Sp) 78 77, A Cabrera (Arg) 78 77, P Golding 79 76. 156 T Woods* (US) 81 75, C Rocca (It) 76 80, M Jonzon (Swe) 79 77, P Way 80 76, J Lomas 78 78, B Pappas (SA) 79 77, W Riley (Aus) 74 82, D Cooper 74 82, P Smith 76 80, C O'Connor Jnr 77 79, F Lindgren (Swe) 79 77, D Williams 79 77, P Affleck 79 77, J Bickerton 76 80. 157 M Roe 73 84, G Orr 78 79, J Robson 81 76, S Tinning (Den) 74 83, J Spence 76 81, G Emerson 75 82, F Tarnaud (Fr) 80 77, P Goydos (US) 72 85, M A Jimenez (Sp) 76 81, J Sandelin (Swe) 81 76, M Clayton (Aus) 79 78. 158 R Willison 77 81, J Haeggman (Swe) 76 82, R Chapman 81 77, B Lane 79 79, T Price (Aus) 83 75, P Burke (US) 79 79, C Gillies 80 78, M Litton 79 79, M Pinero (Sp) 79 79, M Lanner (Swe) 77 81, N Fasth (Swe) 78 80. 159 R Weir 82 77, J Furyk (US) 84 75, M Campbell (NZ) 79 80, T Herron (US) 79 80. 160 A Webster 79 81, D Howell 77 83, R Burns 78 82, A Crerar 80 80, P Hedblom (Swe) 76 84. 161 P Teravainen (US) 79 82, S McCarron (US) 81 80, F Howley 78 83, T Levet (Fr) 77 84. 162 H Clark 79 83, T Bjorn (Den) 77 85, M Besanceney (Fr) 82 80, M Wills 77 85. 163 S Bottomley 82 81, J Robinson 82 81, D Chopra (Swe) 80 83, B Howard* 81 82, P Fowler (Aus) 81 82, G Evans 81 82. 164 S Mackenzie* 82 82, A Hunter 82 82. 165 M Davis 80 85. 166 R Wessels (SA) 86 80. 168 G J Brand 83 85. Disqualified: A Bossert (Swit), M Harwood (Aus). Retired: A Forsbrand (Swe). * denotes amateur