Carnoustie claims more scalps as second round starts

Carnoustie refused to relinquish its stranglehold on the world's best golfers as the second round got underway today.

Only a light breeze greeted the early starters on Friday morning with overnight rain also contributing to considerably easier playing conditions than yesterday.

But the famous Scottish links still claimed its share of victims among the dawn patrol with world number two David Duval principal among them.

The 27-year-old American looked like recouping some of the losses inflicted by an opening 79, eight over par, when he birdied the second from 28 feet and had good birdie chances at the next two holes.

But Carnoustie was not prepared to let Duval, four times a winner already this season, have it all his own way and got its own back on the par five sixth.

Duval's drive finished buried in a fairway bunker and after hacking out he still had a 3 wood to try and reach the green.

He could only come up some 40 yards short however and after another visit to the sand eventually found the putting surface, two putts adding up to a double bogey seven dropping him back to nine over.

Home favourite Colin Montgomerie was also finding things tough, dropping a shot at the first after three putts from the front edge of the green.

Four pars followed but the 36-year-old Scot was having to struggle to maintain his position and, at times, his infamous temper.

Two confrontations with photographers had Monty in a bad mood, a mood not helped when he missed the fairway with his drive on the fifth.

But he managed to hold himself in check, accepting his punishment by just chipping back onto the fairway and, after an excellent approach, saving par from 10 feet to stay four over par.

The best golf was coming from former USPGA champion Mark Brooks who picked up shots at the first, second and fourth, although that only took him to eight over par after an 82 yesterday.

That equalled the best start by anyone in the championships set by Patrik Sjoland in the first round and the Swede was still going well at three over with five straight pars.

Former champion Justin Leonard was also going well, four pars keeping the 1997 champion at two over and just two strokes off the lead.

Three-time winner Nick Faldo was not having such a happy time however, with a bogey on the first and double bogey six on the next dropping him back to 10 over.

Meanwhile America's Fred Funk, who shot an opening 83, became the first to withdraw from the event, citing a shoulder injury.

And the Scot's ill-humour will not have been improved by the roar coming from the first green which told him that Tiger Woods had began his second round with a birdie, holing from 30 feet to get to two over par, a position he consolidated by two putting from 60ft for par on the next.

Leonard also remained at two over with yet another par while Australian Greg Norman picked up a shot on the 412-yard fourth to get to four over.

Brooks, the winner of the USPGA at Valhalla in 1996, added another birdie at the sixth to be four under for six holes, the best start by anyone so far.