Montgomerie sets sights on Havret

Gregory Havret takes a two-shot lead into the third round of the Nordic Open with a warning from Colin Montgomerie ringing in his years.

The Frenchman carded a second round 63, one shot outside the course record set by his compatriot Raphael Jacquelin on Thursday, for a 13-under par halfway total. It gave the 26-year-old a two-shot lead over the Swede Patrik Sjoland and English pair David Gilford and David Lynn, with seven players a shot further back.

Montgomerie was another stroke adrift on nine under after a 65 which threatened to be even better, and said: "I don't care who's in between or how many, I am only four behind and can look forward to the weekend now. This is ideal."

The 40-year-old Scot, playing his first event since being forced to withdraw from the Open with a hand injury after just seven holes of his opening round, raced to the turn in just 30 shots. The former European No 1 birdied four holes in a row from the third and also the eighth and ninth, but three-putted the par-five sixth for bogey.

The home favourite Thomas Bjorn, battling a stiff neck, was five shots off the pace after adding a second round 69 to his opening 67.

Laura Davies set her sights on a fourth victory in Sweden after a flawless second round left her two shots off the lead at the HP Open at Drottningholm in Stockholm. Silvia Cavalleri, a 30-year-old Italian chasing a first professional victory, fired a course-record 65 to set the halfway mark of 10-under 134

Nordic Open: (Copenhagen) Leading early second round scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 131 G Havret (Fr) 68 63. 133 D Gilford 66 67; D Lynn 67 66; P Sjoland (Swe) 69 64. 134 A Raitt 66 68; P Archer 65 69; J Lomas 69 65; K Na (Kor) 70 64; T Dier (Ger) 67 67; R Jacquelin (Fr) 62 72; B Davis 66 68. 135 I Poulter 68 67; A Coltart 66 69; P Lawrie 69 66; C Montgomerie 70 65; M A Jimenez (Sp) 65 70. Selected: 136 Philip Golding 67 69; Thomas Bjorn (Den) 67 69; Stephen Gallacher 71 65; Peter Jespersen (Den) 68 68. 137 John Bickerton 67 70; Raymond Russell 65 72; Miles Tunnicliff 73 64.