Woosnam moves into contention

The Welshman set the early pace and the second round clubhouse target with a three-under-par 69 which took him to a seven-under total of 137, a stroke better than Dane Steen Tinning and Englishman Ross McFarlane, who shot 68s.

Zimbabwe's Mark McNulty was alongside the Welshman after a spectacular eagle-birdie-birdie finish in his 67, with Manchester's Ross McFarlane and Denmark's Steen Dinning a shot further back.

"It's nice to have the crowds behind you, to hear that Welsh accent coming out shouting 'Come on Woosie' and they were willing my putts in," said Woosnam, who had five birdies and two bogeys in his 69.

"They cheer every putt that goes in and they're willing me to win. Hopefully I can do it.

"It helps you to maintain your concentration a little bit and give that bit extra. Maybe that's what I need, to knuckle down and concentrate a bit harder, especially on the last six holes of this course.

"It would mean a lot to win in Wales in three different decades but any win anywhere I would accept at the moment (he has not won since 1997 but was third and seventh in last two events).

"I lost it a bit on 13 and 14 but apart from that played exceptionally well.

"I don't think I'll be leading at the end of the day but it'll be there or thereabouts and it's a good position to be in going in to the last two days.

"I know I'm improving and it's getting better all the time. My last four rounds have been under 70, my confidence is growing and my consistency with it."

McNulty looked to pose no threat to the lead as he went to the turn level par for the day, two under in total, but he stormed home in 31 for a 67 to join Woosnam at the head of the field.

He is playing in only his eighth event of the season after a three-month break when he feared he had contracted malaria in his native Zimbabwe.

"I spent two weeks in Zimbabwe and three days later I felt so ill I thought my body was going to explode from heat," he said.

"I had a temperature of 105 degrees for three days which is positively dangerous and all the perfect symptoms of malaria. Then they thought it was meningitis but in the end put it down to a spectacular virus!"

McNulty put his form down to rediscovering his famous putting touch thanks to a tip from friend David Frost just before Christmas.

"I'd been mixed up the last couple of years but David got me back to basics, feet square, putter square, everything square and two weeks later I won a tournament in South Africa shooting a 61 in the last round."

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