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Justin Rose chasing Adam Scott again

Australia's Adam Scott posted a two-under 70 on Friday to grab a one-shot lead at seven-under 137 after 36 holes of the English Open. Jean Hugo is alone in second place at six-under par after a second-round 68.

Justin Rose, Massimo Scarpa and Peter O'Malley are two back at minus-five.

Scott first got into red figures with a four-foot birdie putt at the second and added another four-footer for birdie at six . He bogeyed the eighth but reclaimed the lost stroke with a birdie at the next hole for a front-nine 34.

The Australian birdied the 12th after he laid up at the par-five hole. One of his playing partners, Ian Poulter, told him that several players had made a mess of the hole, including two 11s.

"Ian Poulter told me on the fairway there was a lot of stuff happening on the 12th, an 11," said Scott, who won the Alfred Dunhill Championship earlier this season. "So I laid up and didn't go for the green."

Scott three-putted the 15th green for a bogey, his second in as many rounds at the 202-yard par-three. He parred out to hang on to seven-under.

"I felt like I could have been leading by four, five or six after the front nine today, I was hitting it that close," said Scott, who missed three four-foot putts throughout his round. "But it is about staying patient and I am going to have to figure that out."

Hugo bogeyed the first hole but rebounded with a birdie at three. He chipped in for birdie at eight to go out in 35.

"The turning point for me was the eighth where I chipped in for birdie," said Hugo. "Before that I had been missing greens and only had 10 putts for the first nine holes. But on the back nine it was better."

He carded back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 and then finished with a birdie at the closing hole at the Arden Course.

Hugo has never finished higher than ninth on the European Tour and his birdie at 18 put him in unchartered territory heading into round three.

"It will be the first time I’ve played in the last group in a European Tour event and I’m really looking forward to it," said Hugo, who won on the European Challenge Tour last year.

Marco Bernardini, Raphael Jacquelin and Marc Farry share sixth at four- under 140.

First-round co-leader Andrew Oldcorn carded two double-bogeys Friday en route to a four-over 76. He dropped into a tie for 14th at one-under.

The 36-hole cut fell at five-over 149, the highest on tour this season. Among the notable players who failed to make the cut: 2001 European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, and his predecessor Mark James, a two-time winner of the English Open.

Another player who will not be around on the weekend is Colin Montgomerie. He withdrew from the tournament after three holes on Friday because of a back injury.

With the U.S. Open next week, Montgomerie is not sure if he will be able to compete.

"I can’t say I’m a definite starter, I’m not certain to play at all, not right now," said Montgomerie, who was yet to capture a major title. "We’ll have to see."