NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Jeev in fourth place with 3-under round

Jeev Milkha Singh continued his solid performance for the second successive day at the 1.4 million euro (1 million pound) Compaq European Grand Prix tournament, shooting a three-under 69 during the second round at the De Vere Slaley Hall course in Hexham, England, on Friday.

According to information, Jeev shot as many as six birdies, but his efforts were undone by three bogies, including one on his final hole. But the three-under 69 round was enough to move him two places up the leaderboard to joint fourth along with three others at seven-under 137.

At the par-72,7,088-yard course, the 27-year-old Chandigarh pro began with a bridie on his first hole (he started from the 10th tee). He bogied the par-5 11th, birdied the par-5 11th, birdied the par-5, 12th and bogied the par-4 12th to be level-par after four holes. Thereafter, he made birdies on the 331-yard par-415th and 184-yard par-3 17th to make the turn at two under.

Jeev went four-under after 12 holes with birdies on the 1st and 3rd, but finished badly with a bogey on the 9th. Though he required only 27 puts to complete the round, three less than the first round, Jeev could only find 12 greens in regulations as against 16 yesterday.

Lleading the tournament was Welshman David Park, who celebrated his birthday in style, by equalling the course record of 65 which took him on top of the leaderboard at 12-under 132. Park, who lost a six-hole playoff last week in the Moroccan Open, began with three successive birdies and ended with an amazing 30-footer birdie putt on the 18th. He had eight birdies in all as against one bogey.

Overnight leder David Carter of England shot a three under 69 and was two strokes off the leader.

The cut was applied at level-par and 75 players made it to the money making round. Among them was England's Justin Rose, who made his first cut in 22 attempts when he played a three udner 69 second round to be level par 144 for the tournament.

Rose had set the 1998 British Open on fire when he finished fourth in the championship as an amateur.

Among the major names, South African Retief Goosen, currently second in the Volvo Order of Merit was tied for 9th place at six-under 138 after a four-under second round, while Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke was joint 20th at four-under 140, world no 9 Lee Westwood of England, struggling after a shoulder injury, also made the cut and was tied for 35 th place at two udner 142 along with the legendary Spanirard Seve Ballesteros.

UNI