RUSSIAN OPEN RELATED STORIES Russian Open Preview Round 1: David Drysdale leads with record 62 Round 2: Four top leaderboard Round 3: Alejandro Canizares edges ahead Round 4: Alejandro Canizares wins maiden title Russian Open Scores 2006 European Tour Schedule GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Karlsson wins in a playoff Paula Creamer wins 4th title of 2008 Late birdies seal win for Dustin Johnson FedExCup an anti climax again European Tour increases minimum tournaments GREAT GIFTS FOR GOLFERS The Pocket Golf Professional Golf Breaks to Portugal & Ireland Half Price Golf Vouchers The Father & Son Golf Ch'ship Best Value Golf Insurance

Four top leaderboard

Spain's Francis Valera shot five-under-par 67 to move into a three-way tie for the lead after two rounds at the Russian Open on Friday.

Valera joined fellow Spaniard Carlos Rodiles and overnight leader David Drysdale at 12-under-par 132.

Another Spaniard Alejandro Canizares had a bogey-free round with five birdies to move into contention, a stroke behind.

Defending champion Mikael Lundberg also had a good round with six birdies despite making a bogey on the last hole.

The Swede and England's Andrew Butterfield, whom he beat in a sudden-death playoff last year to win his maiden European Tour title, are now tied for sixth, three shots off the pace.

Briton Drysdale, who shot 70, struggled to maintain Thursday's electric form when he equalled the course record with 10-under-par 62 at the Moscow Country Club in suburban Nakhabino.

"I was very tired today," said the 31-year-old Scot, still looking for his first European Tour victory.

"Over the last few holes I was very tired. I had a nice run of four birdies in a row but then bogeyed two of the par threes and that is always disappointing."

England's 44-year-old Malcolm Mackenzie finished on level par, just missing the cut in his 599th European Tour event.

NHL All-Star Alexei Kovalev, making his European Tour debut as one of only four amateurs in the 111-strong field, came dead last at 19 over par.

The Montreal Canadiens right wing, who captained Russia's ice hockey team at this year's Turin Olympics, was nevertheless satisfied with his performance.

"I think I did just fine considering it was my first tournament of such a high calibre. Making the cut here would practically be equivalent to winning a Stanley Cup," Kovalev, who lifted hockey's biggest prize with the New York Rangers in 1994, told Reuters.

This year the Russian Open became a fully fledged European Tour event for the first time in its 13-year history with one million euros ($1.28 million) in total prize money.