Alessandro Tadini vaults into lead with 62

Italy's Alessandro Tadini, who missed 10 of 15 cuts this year, shot a 7-under-par 62 Friday for a two-shot lead over England's David Lynn at the Celtic Manor Wales Open.

Tadini was at 11-under 127 after two rounds on the short, par-69 Roman Road course at Celtic Manor. Lynn, playing later when the wind picked up, carded a 66 for 129 and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez was at 130 after a 67.

Tadini began his bogey-free round with a birdie from 30 feet.

``Then it was easier to play,'' he said. ``Today my putting was beautiful.''

Ian Woosnam, Europe's Ryder Cup captain next year, shot a 68 and was at 132.

``It's nice to be up there but I struggled a bit today,'' the 47-year-old Welshman said. ``I found it hard to get into.''

Meanwhile, Colin Montgomerie insisted he was relishing an unscheduled weekend off after missing his first cut of the season. Montgomerie admitted he was physically and emotionally drained by his tough schedule and the lingering controversy over his incorrect drop in the Indonesian Open in March.

The former European No. 1 carded three birdies but the same number of bogeys and double-bogeys to slump to a second-round 75 and 8-over-par halfway total. That was an incredible 19 shots off the lead held by Tadini, a European Challenge Tour graduate who broke the newly established course record by a shot with a flawless 62.

Montgomerie travelled to Singapore, Australia, Dubai, China, Indonesia, the United States and back to China in the hunt for enough ranking points to climb back into the world's top 50. And after eventually achieving that goal in last week's BMW Championship, the 41-year-old admitted he was looking forward to a few days off before traveling to Pinehurst for the US Open.

"I'm very tired but I've got nine days off now and I'm looking forward to that," said Montgomerie, who lost a ball off the tee on the 18th on route to one of his three double-bogeys. "I'm hitting the ball okay but I just didn't score very well. If you're not on your game this course is not easy.

Lynn was one of six players sharing the overnight lead on 6-under and looked set to overhaul Tadini when he fired four birdies in his first seven holes. But the 31-year-old could only manage a level par back nine of 34 as he chases his second European Tour title.

"Conditions were fairly tricky," Lynn said. "I got off to a good start and could have capitalised on it and found myself in the lead, especially with the back nine playing a little easier. But the wind was making it tough and there were some funky pin positions out there."

Lynn will defend his KLM Open title in Holland next week and feels that overdue win 12 months ago will be vital in dealing with the pressure in the battle for the victory.

"I have the experience and know what it takes to finish off a tournament, that should stand me in good stead for the weekend," he added. "You need to learn to cope with the occasion, what to say to yourself at vital moments, your mind can sometimes wander. It's good to have that under my belt."

In contrast, Tadini is leading a European Tour event for the first time. His career-best performance came in last year's Aa St. Omer Open -- a dual-ranking event between the main and Challenge Tour -- when he three-putted the final green to miss out on a playoff.

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