Allan holds narrow halfway lead

Australian Stephen Allan leads the way at the halfway stage of the TNT Dutch Open but has four players breathing down his neck just one shot adrift in Noordwijkse.

The Swedish duo of Mathias Gronberg and Richard Johnson , along with Eduardo Romero and Stephen Leaney all remain firmly in the hunt.

Defending champion Lee Westwood is four behind after mixing four birdies with four bogeys, while 19-year-old Justin Rose fell five back by also scoring 72.

Allan, the former German Open back in 1998, followed his opening round of 68 with a 67 to eventually knock long-time clubhouse leaders Gronberg and Johnson off top spot.

The 26-year-old from Melbourne had six birdies - and only the second shank in his career at the 10th – on his way to a 67. He rectified his error at the very next hole by producing a birdie.

Two more followed to lift the man with two top-six finishes in the last six weeksonto the nine-under-par total of 135 in the race for the £138,602 first prize.

Eduardo Romero came with an inch of the fourth albatross of the European season at the 571-yard second.

"It was the best eagle in the last 10 years," said the 46-year-old, bidding to become one of the oldest winners in tour history.

"I hit the drive right out of the middle 370 yards and then a four-iron which spun back - downwind. It was fantastic."

Richard Johnson, 23, is favourite to become Rookie of the Year, having finished second in the Madeira Open in March and his performances perhaps vindicate his decision to give up skateboarding having competed in the Swedish championships as a youngster.

"You almost have to be a mental case to do some of the stuff," he said. "I came to the limit of what I dared to do and if you are scared you know you are going to die or break a leg or something."

Mathias Gronberg fired the best round of the morning – a 68 to go with his opening 70 – to share the lead with fellow Swede Johnson.

"If someone had told me before the tournament I would be eight under after two rounds, I would have taken it. But then I was disappointed after I went six-under for the day after 11 and I was thinking of 12 or 13-under."

Johnson led on his own after eagling the 11th for the second time, but fell back into a share of top place with a late bogey.

Stephen Leaney, winner two years ago, had shared the first-round lead with Johnson and after 36 holes he has still to have a bogey. But today he only managed two birdies in his 70.

Darren Clarke, face with the prospect of missing the halfway cut, conjured up three birdies in the closing holes for a 69 and the Ulsterman, six behind Allan, cannot be ruled out of the hunt.

Bernhard Langer moved into contention at the Dutch Open and could complete a hat-trick of victories in the event following a second round four-under-par 68 at Noordwijkse.

The German is hoping to repeat the feats of 1984 and 1992 in Holland and win his first tour event since the Linde Geman Masters in 1997.

Langer, 43 next month, showed glimpses of form at the Open last week and battled well in windy conditions on the links course where he won a play-off eight years ago.

Currently on seven-under-par 137, Langer is one shot adrift of the joint leaders Mathias Gronberg and Richard S. Johnson of Sweden.

"I played well in the Open for the last three days and that gave me a lot of encouragement," said Langer, the winner of 37 European tour titles.

"The second round at St Andrews could have been 66 and the last round could have been better as well, but there are a lot of 'coulds' on a course like that, so I was lifted by the way I played."

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