Tunnicliff moves five shots clear

Britain's Miles Tunnicliff defied strong winds on Friday to establish a runaway five-stroke lead after the second round of the Diageo Championship.

The 35-year-old put himself on course for a second tour title with a four-under-par 68, surging to nine-under-par 135 overall for a five-shot lead over compatriot Graeme McDowell and Australian left-hander Nick O'Hern.

Winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour (40.23 kph), which replaced Thursday's thunderstorms, billowed up the scoring on the PGA Centenary course and the four-over-par cut at the end of Friday's play was the highest in Europe this year.

Tunnicliff, despite only just recovering from a wrist injury that caused him to miss three tournaments, made light of the conditions on the course that will stage the 2014 Ryder Cup.

"It was a really tough day because the wind was up and down in strength and there was a disaster out there waiting to happen," said Tunnicliff, who is ranked 251st in the world.

"The wrist was painful and I had to pop a painkiller on the 15th but treatment seems to be keeping it at bay."

When Tunnicliff won his maiden title at the 2002 Great North Open at Slaley Hall, he said his dying mother Pam had told him to go out and win from her death-bed.

"It is just over two years since she died on June 5," he said. "I felt someone was looking down on me at the weekend at Slaley Hall and I hope she's there this weekend."

The second-placed pair both had major matters on their minds.

O'Hern is determined to string together enough good results to claim one of the two British Open places available on a mini order of merit after being denied the chance to pre-qualify by a knee injury at a qualifying event in Melbourne in January.

McDowell, the recent Italian Open winner, was happy that he decided not to go to US Open qualifying this week, preferring to chase his second win of the season.

He played with Colin Montgomerie, who is still in touch with all but Tunnicliff despite three-putting the last for a 73, lying just four strokes behind his playing-partner.

Paul Lawrie made up their threesome, but the 1999 British Open Champion, in the throes of a swing-change, missed the cut by a shot before heading for America -- the only player at Gleneagles to be playing in next week's major.

Britain's David Howell, looking to secure a place in Europe's Ryder Cup team, shares fourth place, six strokes off the lead.

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