Golf: Ballesteros a class apart: Langer sets course record in Belgian Open but trails by four shots

SEVE BALLESTEROS continued to defy the knockers at Knokke-le-Zoute yesterday, taking a four-shot lead in the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Belgian Open to leave Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer trailing in his imperious wake.

Seeking to extend a sequence that has seen him win at least one tournament every year since 1976, Ballesteros profited from the perfect, windless conditions to better his opening round of 67 with a six-under-par 65 for a 10-under-par total of 132. 'My swing is great,' he said after a day blemished only by a warning for slow play.

Langer, who as one of Ballesteros's playing partners also was warned for sluggish progress, broke the course record with a 64 to reach the half-way mark on 136. Faldo, who collected his second successive 68, the Irishman Darren Clarke and Tom Penrice, one of the few American fixtures on the European Tour, also lag four shots behind the Spaniard.

Langer was only too willing to give some of the credit for his record to Ballesteros. 'It's a great help when someone else is playing well. I find it more difficult if my two partners are both five over par.' Neither the German nor his illustrious partner carded a bogey as they went round with a better-ball score of 60, 11 under. Ballesteros's accuracy was almost flawless: his longest putt was from 10 feet.

Faldo, who started at the 10th, might have been closer to the lead had he maintained a start that took him to eight-under after 14 holes, but he dropped shots at both the sixth and the ninth.

ALFRED DUNHILL BELGIAN OPEN (Knokke-le-Zoute) Leading second-round scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 132 S Ballesteros (Sp) 67 65; 136 B Langer (Ger) 72 64; D Clarke 68 68; N Faldo 68 68; T Penrice (US) 70 66; 137 V Singh (Fiji) 68 69; G Brand Jnr 66 71; J-M Canizares (Sp) 68 69; D Frost (SA) 69 68; W Westner (SA) 70 67; 138 D Williams 66 72; R Chapman 72 66; J Van de Velde (Fr) 70 68; J Hawkes (SA) 68 70; G Turner (NZ) 70 68; C Rocca (It) 67 71; D Feherty 69 69; 139 J Coceres (Arg) 70 69; S Torrance 71 68; M-A Jimenez (Sp) 68 71; S Struver (Ger) 68 71; I Palmer (SA) 69 70; H Clark 70 69; R Rafferty 72 67; E Romero (Arg) 70 69; J Hobday (SA) 69 70. 140 J Parnevik (Swe) 70 70; J Rivero (Sp) 70 70; P Lawrie 71 69; M-A Martin (Sp) 69 71; G J Brand 69 71; P Broadhurst 68 72; E Els (SA) 72 68; B Lane 71 69. 141 R Boxall 71 70; M Farry (Fr) 70 71; K Waters 70 71; R Willison 67 74; C Mason 68 73; A Murray 72 69; R Davis (Aus) 74 67; A Forsbrand (Swe) 67 74. Selected: 142 I Woosnam 72 70. 143 C Montgomerie 72 71.