26 June 2004	Saturday	07 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

VERSAILLES, June 25: Former U.S. Masters champion Ian Woosnam finally found reason to smile after a second round 69 gave him a share of the French Open lead on Friday.

The 46-year-old Welshman, contemplating retirement last month after a poor run of form, would have led outright but he dropped three strokes over the last four holes.

He is on six-under-par along with Frenchman Jean-Francois Remesy, who had a round of 67 earlier in the day.

Woosnam had been so down with his game only a month ago he had considered packing away his clubs.

Ironically, when Woosnam won his 29th and last European Tour title, the 1997 PGA Championship, it was in May.

Woosnam was firing on all cylinders and by the 12th, where he holed what he called an 'outrageous' 50ft putt for his fifth birdie, he had built a three-stroke advantage over the French 1999 Estoril Open winner. But then three pulled shots, which cost him bogeys on the 15th, 16th and 17th, where he did well to recover from waist-high rough, brought him back alongside Remesy.

The Frenchman is bidding to be the first to win his home Open since Jean Garaialde in 1969.

Australian left-hander Richard Green, whose only European Tour win came after a playoff for the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic title with Woosnam and Greg Norman, maintained third place, two shots off the leading pair.

First round leader Darren Fichardt of South Africa fell back after a bright start to finish three shots off the pace.

Colin Montgomerie just squeezed into the weekend on the cut-off mark of seven-over-par, the highest of the season by three strokes.

With just 10 players out of 152 under par for two rounds, Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer was one of those to miss out, totalling 13-over with an eight and seven on his card.

Leading second round scores

136 Jean-Francois Remesy 69 67, Ian Woosnam 67 69

138 Richard Green 68 70

139 Darren Fichardt 66 73

140 John Bickerton 73 67, David Howell 71 69, Peter O'Malley 73 67

141 Nick O'Hern 73 68, Ian Poulter 70 71, Mark Roe 70 71

142 Paul Eales 72 70, Gary Evans 72 70, Gregory Havret 72 70, Trevor Immmelman 74 68, Thomas Levet 76 66, Richard McEvoy 72 70, Jean Van de Velde 74 68

143 Francois Delamontagne 75 68, David Dixon 71 72, Alastair Forsyth 75 68, Jonathan Lomas 73 70, David Lynn 72 71, Graeme McDowell 70 73, Cesar Monasterio 70 73

144 Robert Allenby 76 68, David Park 76 68, Marcel Siem 71 73

Eagles lift Howell

POTOMAC (Maryland): Charles Howell fired a tournament-record 10-under par 61 here Thursday, grabbing a three-stroke lead after the first round of the 4.8 million-dollar PGA Booz Allen Classic.

The American, who began on the 10th hole, holed two eagles and four birdies on his first eight holes at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel, having fired a woeful 83 in his final US Open round on Sunday.

Howell opened with a par then eagled the par-5 11th. He parred the 12th and birdied the 13th and 14th. Howell then eagled the par-5, 15th and followed that with a pair of birdies.

Howell has won 720,702 dollars this year and the top prize of 864,000 dollars would boost the native of Augusta, Georgia, - home of the Masters - well over the one million dollar mark for the fourth year in a row.

Fellow Americans Rich Beem and Olin Browne each shot a 64 to share second with compatriot fourth Jeff Sluman on 65.

Beem, the 2002 PGA Championship winner who won a title here five years ago, birdied six holes on the front nine and recorded his only bogey on 18. He has not finished better than 33rd in any of his 15 starts this year.

Leading first round scores

61 - Charles Howell

64 - Rich Beem, Olin Browne

65 - Jeff Sluman

66 - Adam Scott, Blaine McCallister, Tom Lehman, Billy Mayfair, Scott Hend

67 - Carl Pettersson, Frank Lickliter, Shaun Micheel, Rory Sabbatini, Steve Stricker, Aaron Baddeley, Duffy Waldorf, Harrison Frazar, Dan Ellis.-Agencies