Phillips
and Price tumble from lead in the wind Overnight
leaders Van Phillips and Phil Price found themselves blown away in the second
round of the Estoril Open. The
Englishman and Welshman were among just 13 players to break par yesterday as they
set the pace with three-under 69s. But
the Penha Longa course and unseasonal Portuguese weather exacted their revenge
today to send the pair tumbling down the leaderboard. Price,
the 32-year-old from Pontypridd, could not manage a single birdie in his round
of 77 which dropped him back to a two-over total of 146. And
Phillips, who won his first European Tour title at the Algarve Open last month,
had two sixes in his first six holes to crash to one over and find himself suddenly
five shots off the lead. South
African Retief Goosen, who started the day two under, conjured up an eagle on
the sixth to get to four under par, one ahead of France's Jeff Remesy who was
the leader in the clubhouse. Remesy
had just one bogey in a round of 69 to finish three under and prove he had made
the right choice not to quit the tour last year after failing to gain his card
at the qualifying school. England's
Jonathan Lomas was also well placed after adding a 73 to his opening 70 to be
one under after finally shaking off the 'flu bug which had laid him low for a
month. "I
played in Madeira when I shouldn't have really," said the Cheshire-based
golfer. "I
nearly turned round at the airport I felt that bad and it didn't help being stuck
out on the mountain in the fog with the weather delays. "I've
had it for four weeks and only just got rid of it. I'll be in a good position
for the last two rounds and maybe it'll be better not leading to have something
to chase." Goosen
was not immune to dropping shots however and three bogeys in four holes dropped
him well back before a birdie on the 12th got him back to two under par.
That was one off
the lead held by Remesy in the clubhouse and by Britain's Andrew Raitt. Raitt,
who regards himself as an Anglo-Scot as his father his Scottish and mother English,
had an eagle, two birdies and one bogey to reach the turn in three under 33. Raitt,
runner-up in the 1996 Scottish PGA, dropped a shot on the 10th but held it together
well and got back to three under with a birdie at the 14th. Overnight
leader Phillips was struggling at two over but playing partner David Carter recovered
from an outward nine of 39 to get back to one under and be just two off the lead. | 
