Lesser lights share lead - Scandinavian Masters 2007

German youngster Martin Kaymer, Swede Henrik Nystrom and Briton Sam Walker held a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Scandinavian Masters on Friday.

Kaymer, starting in early afternoon, had to battle with strong winds that had bedevilled the morning starters and bogeyed the short 18th to deny himself the outright lead.

A round of two-under 68, though, set the target of five-under 135.

The Duesseldorf player does not want to be referred to as "the new Bernhard Langer" but he is poised to follow in the double U.S. Masters champion's footsteps.

Fellow German Langer won his first European Tour title, the 1980 Dunlop Masters, when he was 23. Kaymer, 22, has shown similar promise in his rookie year and led the Wales Open in June after three rounds, only to slump down the field at Celtic Manor to 14th.

His experience can help him get the job done this weekend, Kaymer told reporters.

"In Wales I played with the local hero Bradley Dredge in the final round and that was a great experience, with all the spectators," he said.

"I think you need to get used to that and I have only had that one time, but I am pretty young and I think I can learn."

While Kaymer appreciates Langer's huge contribution to German golf, his role model is South African Ernie Els, with whom he has played this year.

"Bernhard is Bernhard and we are two different people. He is my German role model, but in general it is Ernie, he's so relaxed," said Kaymer.

Under the 'first in, last out' tour rule, Kaymer will not play with another local favourite in Saturday's third round, with Nystrom paired with fourth-placed James Kingston of South Africa (68).

Co-leaders Nystrom and Walker had slightly more benign conditions when finishing off rounds of 68 and 70 respectively.

Both are also looking for maiden titles, Nystrom with three career second-place European Tour finishes on his record.

Nystrom, 114th on the money-list, aims to be the fourth Swedish winner of the event but a top-five finish would ensure he has a tour card for next year. Walker, lying 148th, has rather more to do.

Jean-Baptiste Gonnet of France, who also benefited from calmer afternoon conditions, and two Britons, Nick Dougherty and Edward Rush, who battled with the strong morning gusts, are a further stroke back on three-under in fifth place.

Tournament promoter Jesper Parnevik, who has won the Scandinavian Masters twice, squeezed in on the three-over cut mark, but American invitee John Daly missed the weekend by four strokes.