Solace can sometimes be in short supply around a professional golf tournament, but Paul McGinley - who had spent the day like someone on a soapy treadmill going nowhere fast - didn't have to search too far for post-round comfort. Although he finished his second round of the Benson and Hedges International Open exactly where he had started, on the six-under-par mark, there was no mad rush of players overtaking him.

"I'm not really surprised. There are a lot of places you can trip up on this course, a lot of trickery off the tees with water and drains all over the place. It's easy to make mistakes and that's why the scoring hasn't got away," remarked McGinley of the failure of so many to make inroads on a beautiful, calm day. Only Henrik Stenson, who had shared the overnight lead with the Dubliner, threatened to steal a march on the field, and he looked like doing so until two late bogeys brought some sense to his audacity.

By day's end, nevertheless, Stenson, a lowly 164th position in the Order of Merit with four missed cuts among his season's statistics, was the man in sole possession of the leadership. A second round 68 to add to his opening salvo of 66 left the Swede on 10-under-par 134, three shots clear of his Viking cousin Thomas Bjorn, with McGinley one of three players a shot further back.

McGinley wasn't the only Irishman treading water. Padraig Harrington suffered the ignominy of an opening hole double-bogey six, on the 10th, which, as he said, put him "on the back foot" for the rest of his round.

Harrington, however, recovered sufficiently to also sign for a 72, to remain on four-under-par, but Darren Clarke went backwards with a 76 and was somewhat fortunate to survive on the cut mark that fell at one-over-par 145.

Meanwhile, Eamonn Darcy handed out a lesson to his younger compatriots. Without a tour card this season, and playing on a sponsor's invitation, Darcy claimed seven birdies - including using his five-wood to sink a 25-footer from the fringe of the sixth green - on his way to a 67 for two-under-par 142. That enabled him to leapfrog through the field from a starting position of tied-112th up to tied-30th.

McGinley, though, remained upbeat, despite slipping back to a share of third place with South African Desvonde Botes and Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance. His downfall yesterday was to fall victim to the Brabazon course's long holes. In Thursday's opening round, he covered the three par fives in four under (an eagle and two birdies); yesterday, in contrast, he covered them in two over.

"You like to take advantage of those par fives, it is what professional golf is all about, and I didn't do it," he remarked.

The omens were bad as early as the third hole, 538 yards which recently acquired extra water protection in front of an elevated green. There, after a good drive, he was left with 250 yards to the flag with much of the carry over water.

"It was on my absolute maximum with a three-wood," he said of the shot. As it happened, he caught it heavy and found a watery grave.

Later in the round, on the 15th, which was reachable in two for the majority yesterday, McGinley's wayward drive nestled in rough surrounded by trees. He did well to find the putting surface in three, but then proceeded to three-putt from the lower tier for another bogey.

His only birdies came at the first, where he hit a seven-iron approach to 12 feet, and the short seventh, where he hit a seven-iron tee-shot to eight feet.

"I'll have to up my game over the weekend if I'm going to contend," added McGinley, "but it only requires me to play a little bit better. My game is not that far away."

The man he is chasing is Stenson, last year's Challenge Tour winner. Nobody has been more surprised by his performance over the first two days than the Swede himself. "I haven't been playing well," he conceded, "but I have been working on it."

In today's third round, Stenson will be paired with Bjorn, a player he has used as a role model. "He won the Challenge Tour in 1995 and, when you see what he has achieved since, with his career going straight up, then he is a good example to everyone."

Bjorn, troubled by back and neck injuries which have at times forced him to sleep on hotel bedroom floors and to carry his own pillow with him wherever he travels, hasn't played in three weeks and admitted to playing some loose shots in his second round 68. "But the good shots were very good," he quickly added.

In fact, Bjorn was three over par after his opening six holes on Thursday before turning his tournament around. "The more holes you play, then the more you get rid of the rustiness," said the Dane.

Harrington was slightly outof-sorts yesterday. He started with a six at the 10th - although later in the day Thomas Gogele had an 11 there by putting the ball into the water on three occasions - and recovered to turn in level par, the highlight coming at the 18th where he hit a seven-iron approach of 165 yards to 15 feet and holed the birdie putt.

But it didn't provide too much inspiration, and he was forced to hole a tricky 12-footer on the ninth, his last, to finish the day's work on level par, four-under for the tournament.

"My swing is just not right. I know technically what it is, but, during a tournament, you have to get the balance right between working on it and practice," he said.

Still, he spent some time with coach Bob Torrance on the range before putting further emphasis on his putting.

Darcy had just 26 putts in his round which enabled him to move through the field, while Clarke admitted to some frustration after a struggling 76 that allowed him to barely survive into the weekend.

On this day a year ago, Harrington shot a 64 (which wasn't subsequently allowed to stand as a course record when it was discovered he hadn't signed his first round card and was disqualified). If anyone can repeat that scoring feat in today's third round, then Mr Stenson may have something to worry about.