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Monty moves into contention

20/04/2007

Scotland's Colin Montgomerie enjoyed a two-under-par second round of 70 at the Asian Open in Shanghai to move into a tie for third.

The eight-time European Order of Merit winner is one of five players on five-under for the tournament, joining 2004 Asian Open winner Miguel Angel Jimenez who carded a bogey-free round of 69.

Australia's Scott Hend, Dane Soren Kjeldsen and Sweden's Joakim Backstrom make up the rest of that group, while first-round leader Raphael Jacquelin is still out in front, three shots clear of Korean Lee Sung-man on six-under.

Montgomerie eagled the 570-yard 15th at the Shanghai Pudong golf club but it was not enough to close the gap on Jacquelin, who secured five birdies in the last 12 holes of his round to pull clear.

"We were lucky this afternoon and the wind died on the back nine," the Frenchman said.

"I am really confident with how I am hitting the ball. I have improved my putting the last few weeks and I am just trying to make the strokes and the swing as for the practice round. And the birdies are coming.

"If the weather is good we will have to be low to win this tournament and the putter will have to be hot."

Ernie Els, a winner at the Asian Open in 2005 by a record margin of 13 shots, fell further behind the leaders as he struggled to a second successive round of 71 to sit seven shots off Jacquelin.

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