• BMW Italian Open, Round Two

Andersson Hed grabs halfway lead in Turin

Miguel Angel Jimenez coped best with the difficult conditions to grab the clubhouse lead with a second-round 68 © Getty Images

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Fredrik Andersson Hed holds the half-way lead at the Italian Open at eight-under-par after shooting a spectacular second-round 66.

The Swede played superbly in testing conditions as he added to birdies at the eighth, ninth, 15th and 17th by pitching in for eagle at the par-four 14th. Andersson Hed is one shot ahead of a group of three players tied for second including Miguel Angel Jimenez, who was in sparkling form as he fired a four-under-par round of 68, Alejandro Canizares and Nicolas Colsaerts.

Jimenez, who won the Dubai Desert Classic in February, is one of just two players in the world's top 50 in the Turin field and he showed his class in the tough weather conditions. He began the day at three-under but dropped shots at 13 and 16 before kickstarting his charge with an eagle on the par-five 18th - his ninth hole of the day.

The 46-year-old picked up three further shots on his inward nine and, despite narrowly missing out on a birdie at his last hole, completed a satisfying round to lead the field by two shots.

"I'm very happy," Jimenez said. "I played very well in very difficult conditions.

"The rain was really heavy and there was a lot of water on the course. It will be difficult for the players going out in the afternoon so I am happy with my score."

Jimenez turned down the opportunity to play at the Players Championship in Florida in order to take a break but decided to play in Turin after discussing the event with some of his European Tour colleagues.

"I didn't want to make too many intercontinental flights so I decided to play here because it is a very nice tournament on a great course. I was supposed to have this week and the next off but I decided to play here after talking to some of the guys who were planning to play."

Paul Lawrie has a reputation as an all-weather player but struggled to drain any putts as he followed up a first-round 67 with a one-over-par round of 73. The 41-year-old, without a win on tour since 2002, briefly led on his own when he birdied the 11th - his second hole of the day - but dropped shots at the 13th, 16th and ninth to finish on four-under.

"I played a lot better today than I did yesterday but I just couldn't get it in," Lawrie said. "I hit the ball nicely and got it in the right places but it just didn't quite happen."

Steve Webster shot five birdies and one bogey as he carded 68 to join Lawrie on the same total along with David Horsey, who shot a consistent round of 71.

Matteo Manassero continued to impress in his first tournament as a professional. Playing alongside Ryder Cup Captain , the young Italian looked sharp with the putter as he holed four birdies and several tricky par saves on his way to a second-round 70. In contrast, Montgomerie again struggled to threaten the scoreboard as he shot 72 to seal another weekend off.

Robert Rock looked confident on the greens as he moved up the leaderboard with a two-under-par round of 70, but a wild approach to the final hole saw him drop a shot back to four-under.

Graeme Storm disappointed on day two as he followed up an opening round of 67 with a sloppy two-over-par round of 74, while Oliver Fisher remains in touch on two-under after a steady day. Chris Wood sits a further shot back after a tidy round of 70. The tall Englishman hit three birdies before dropping a shot at the par-four 16th. He is joined on three-under by Dane Soren Kjeldsen, who recovered from a poor opening round of 73 with a four-under-par second-round 68.

Scotland's David Drysdale and Welshman Stephen Dodd endured difficult days in the mist as they both slipped back to two-under following two-over-par rounds of 74.

Hassan Trophy winner Rhys Davies played nicely before the turn but suffered a breakdown of epic proportions. After holing one birdie and an eagle on the front nine, Davies carded two bogeys and a double-bogey to miss the cut by a single shot.

Darren Clarke endured a miserable second day, and posted his second over-par round of the event to miss the cut along with England's David Howell and Ross McGowan. Simon Dyson retired from the event with a bad back.

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