Westwood has leaders in sight

Lee Westwood took over at the spearhead of Europe's challenge for a piece of golfing history.

While overnight pacesetter Sergio Garcia managed only a 73 in the second round of the United States PGA Championship at Medinah near Chicago and went from two ahead to four behind, Westwood produced a 68 to reach halfway on the six-under-par aggregate of 138.

The 26-year-old from Worksop did not lead, though. American Jay Haas improved a stroke on his opening 68 to stand nine under, just a stroke behind was Canadian left-hander Mike Weir after his second successive 68 - and then two back came title favourite Tiger Woods, who gave himself another chance of a second Major by matching Haas's 67 as heavy rain returned late in the day.

And Haas and Woods' compatriot Skip Kendall shot a course record 65 to lie four shots off the lead.

Following Jose Maria Olazabal's victory in the Masters in April and Scot Paul Lawrie's shock Open triumph last month, Europe could have three of golf's four Major trophies for the first time ever come Sunday night.

Westwood, winner of his last two tournaments in Holland and Dublin, said: "I'm enjoying it. I probably didn't play as well as I did for my 70, but I holed more putts.

"I've won 16 times and I suppose the next step is a major. I'm feeling very confident."

Nineteen-year-old Spaniard Garcia, trying to become the youngest winner of a Major for 129 years, failed to reproduce the magic of his opening 66 - and slipped back to five under alongside playing partner Hale Irwin - the 54-year-old trying to become the oldest winner of a major in history.

Garcia probably needs a top four finish on Sunday to clinch a Ryder Cup debut next month - he would eclipse Nick Faldo as the youngest ever player in that - but his mind was firmly on this week's championship when he resumed.

"I probably hit it better than I did for my 66, but I just had one of those days when the putts didn't drop," he said.

"Hopefully this is my worst round. I'm playing well and I think I have a good chance of winning.

"But now I realise why Hale Irwin is winning so many titles on the Seniors Tour. He is a great player."

No European-born player has won the US PGA crown since Tommy Armour in 1930 - and he was an American citizen by then - but it was not only Westwood and Garcia to the fore as the 23-strong contingent tried to change that.

Olazabal missed the cut on seven over and Lawrie, in his first-ever event in America, looked like surviving only by the skin of his teeth on one over after a 72.

But Garcia's fellow countryman Miguel Angel Jimenez, already certain of a first cap in Boston, burst to five under before bogeying the last for a second successive 70, and Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Swedes Jesper Parnevik and Gabriel Hjertstedt remained in the hunt at two under.

Westwood resumed in a testing wind and failed to carry the guarding bunker with his pitch to the 388-yard first.

He holed from eight feet to save par, but then three-putted the difficult short second. Forced to putt across the fringe his 35-foot attempt raced 20 feet past and he missed the return.

The 26-year-old, who led the Masters with nine to play in April, quickly hit back, however.

He was on in two at the 530-yard fifth and two-putted for birdie, then struck a two-iron to 12 feet on the 206-yard eighth and made that for another.

His group were then put on the clock as they fell behind the three players ahead - Kendall included - and when Westwood took 64 seconds over his first putt on the ninth he was told (by European tour official Andy McFee) that one more "bad time" would mean a one-stroke penalty.

Laid-back as he is, it did not seem to unduly trouble Westwood - and he birdied the next two holes.

Just short of the green in three at the 582-yard 10th he dramatically holed from 55 feet and followed that by hitting a nine-iron to within inches of the cup at the 407-yard 11th.

He did fail to get up and down from sand at the short 13th, but his fifth birdie of the day came on the 389-yard 15th and he finished with yet another.

Six years older than Julius Boros when he lifted the 1968 US PGA, Irwin had opened with a 70 and, after a bogey on the first, birdied the third, fifth, 10th and 15th in a flawless display on the course where he became the oldest-ever winner of the US Open nine years ago.

Montgomerie had six birdies, but also four bogeys - and did well for one of those after hooking his drive down the 16th so badly that he described himself as "in with the bears" in the trees.

"I didn't play very well, so to still have a chance gives me confidence," said the Scot. "I can't play any worse and I'll look at it positively while trying to sort out why some shots are going right and some left."

Ryder Cup captain Mark James lost ground, however, shooting 74 to stand level par and Andrew Coltart, in the hot seat of 10th place in the Ryder Cup race, had to wait to see if he had qualified for the final 36 holes after bogeying the last for 74 and two over.

Faldo, a lowly 54th in the points standings but still hopeful of a wild card if he cannot play his way into the top 10 next week in Munich, had his second successive 71.

Ian Woosnam's only hopes of preserving his Ryder Cup place now rest with James after he missed the cut on three over.

Coltart - and ninth-placed Robert Karlsson and 11th placed Bernhard Langer - were all sitting on two over and survived the cut to boost their cup bid.

As for the American table, 10th-placed Jeff Maggert missed the cut on five over and so left the door open for the chasing pack to oust him from the side decided this weekend.

Tom Lehman in 11th spot in the standings had to finish ninth in the tournament to displace Maggert, but was only level par.

Bob Estes at three under and joint 11th had the best chance of leaping forward. He had to finish fifth to go ahead of Maggert.

Darren Clarke missed the cut when he bogeyed the 14th, 16th and the 445-yard last.

Open runner-up Jean Van de Velde made it through on level par with a 70, however - and that was important at eighth in the Ryder Cup table.