Swedes lead in Moscow

Sandelin: No win since 2005

Russian Open
Second round leaders
GB&Ire unless stated
-13 J Sandelin (Swe)
-13 M Lundberg (Swe)
-12 R Rock
-11 J-A Larsen (Nor)
-10 F Delamontagne (Fra)
-10 I Sanchez-Palencia (Spn)

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Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin and Mikael Lundberg both shot second-round 64s to grab the lead at the halfway stage of the Russian Open.

The pair are one shot clear of England's Robert Rock, who also signed for an eight-under-par 64.

Sweden has an impressive history at this event. Lundberg won his only tour title in Moscow in 2005, while fellow Swede Per-Ulrik Johansson triumphed 12 months ago.

"Maybe it's because we are only two hours away," explained Sandelin. "In fact, I was born in Finland and that's even closer!"

Former Ryder Cup player Sandelin won the fifth of his European Tour titles in 2002, but since then has struggled to reproduce that form and only held onto his tour card at the end of last season by £61.

Starting his second round from the 10th, Sandelin picked up shots at the 11th and 12th and then rolled in a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th to reach the turn in 31.

For the second day in succession he bogeyed the first but bounced back with a birdie on the next after chipping within inches of the hole.

Birdie streak

Sandelin also birdied the sixth and then hit the pin with his approach to the seventh. The ball bounced 20 feet away but the 41-year-old holed for birdie and then hit his tee shot at the eighth to tap-in distance for three in a row.

Rock had also started from the 10th and matched Sandelin's outward half of 31.

He then birdied the second and bogeyed the fourth before holing from 30ft for eagle on the par-five fifth and picking up another birdie on the eighth.

"This season has been a lot better for me and I really don't think that my positions on the Order of Merit or the Challenge Tour rankings really reflect that at the moment," said the 31-year-old Rock, 132nd and 55th on those lists, respectively.

Stroke average

"My stroke average is a lot better than last year and I tend to go on stats like that. If I am getting better every year then that will do me.

"It's been a long process of building my swing to where I wanted it to be. It was good all of last year but very new to me, whereas now I have been having the same swing thoughts for the last year, which is great because I used to have four or five different ones every week."

Norway's Jan-Are Larsen is a shot behind Rock on 11 under after a 65 but America's former Open champion John Daly missed the cut after rounds of 70 and 73.