Home comfort for host

Garcia: seven birdies

Castello Masters
Second Round leaders
(GB and Ire unless stated)
-11 S Garcia (Spn)
-11 R Finch
-11 S Kjeldsen (Den)
-9 F Delamontagne (Fra)
-9 S Dyson
-9 P Hedblom (Swe)
-9 A Quiros (Spn)
-9 D Lynn

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• EuroTour Schedule
• World Rankings
• Golf live on Sky Sports

Tournament host Sergio Garcia moved into a three-way share of the lead at the Castello Masters after a sizzling second-round 65.

Playing on the Club de Campo del Mediterráneo where he learnt his golf, the Spaniard bounced back from dropping a shot at the second to add seven birdies in an otherwise flawless round and join first round leader Soren Kjeldsen and Richard Finch at 11-under par.

Englishman Finch added a 66 to his opening 65, while Dane Kjeldsen was an inch short with a 12-foot par putt at the last which would have given him the outright lead heading into the weekend.

Garcia's back nine was peppered with some sublime short play, the highlight of which was a brilliantly-controlled chip over trees from deep rough with his second shot on 18, which stopped inches from the pin.

"I've had to play that shot many times but that's probably the closest I've got," said Garcia.

"I knew as soon as I hit it that it would be close and it was great to finish the round with a birdie again.

Great

"This week is great. It's nice to be in this position as there is a little bit of pressure playing on my home course. But I'm really enjoying it and hope I can be 100% over the weekend."

Finch went on a six-hole birdie spree, racking up shots on six successive holes from the fifth, but that run came to an abrupt halt at the par-four 11th where he three-putted for bogey, and he dropped another shot at the last.

It was a different story 12 months ago for Finch as he left it until his last event of the season to secure his card with a seventh-placed finish at the Mallorca Classic.

Three months after that he won the New Zealand Open, in May he clinched the Irish Open, and he was comfortably placed at 19th in the Order of Merit heading into this event.

"I'm sleeping a little better than I did this time last year," said Finch. "I'm still as determined as I was last year but the pressure is not so great and I'm able to sleep a lot better. Keeping hold of your card is such a tough thing to do.

"Today was strange. The run of birdies was great and it was like I couldn't miss. But then on the way back I only had one and it shows how the game can turn."

Red-hot

Five players are tied on on nine under, including Alvaro Quiros, last week's Portugal Masters champion, who continued his red-hot form with a 66, and Frenchman Francois Delamontagne, who needs a strong performance to finish in the top 115 and retain his European Tour card for next season.

Camilo Villegas lived up to his billing as one of golf's most exciting young talents by making a hole in one on the par-three 12th, which helped him to a five-under 66 to leave him six under.

Garcia said of the shot: "I said to him you're not supposed to do this on my home course. But I was just joking, I was very happy for him. That was the hole where I got my first ever hole in one."