Australian Stephen Allan grabbed the halfway lead in the TNT Dutch Open yesterday after only the second shank of his professional career.

The 27-year-old from Melbourne had six birdies in a second-round 67 at Noordwijkse, but it was his one bogey which had him laughing afterwards.

Having turned in 33, Allan drove to within 40 yards of the green at the 388-yard first, his tenth, but instead of putting the ball close to the flag for another birdie, it came off the clubhead at a horrid angle and finished in a green-side bunker.

His embarrassment was put behind him with another birdie at the next hole and then two more to lift him on to the nine-under-par total of 135 in the race for the £138,602 first prize.

The 1998 German Open champion, with two top-six finishes in the last six weeks, goes into the third round one ahead of compatriot Stephen Leaney, Swedes Mathias Gronberg and Richard Johnson and also Argentina's Eduardo Romero.

Defending champion Lee Westwood is four behind after mixing four birdies with four bogeys, while 19-year-old Justin Rose fell five back by also scoring 72.

That round included a 74-yard pitch into the hole for an eagle two at the 15th, a shot which brought back memories of his finish to the 1998 Open at Birkdale.

There he holed from 55 yards on the last for a share of fourth place, the best performance by an amateur in the event since 1953.

''I think this is the first time since then I've holed a full shot,'' said the Hampshire youngster, whose professional career started in nightmare fashion with 21 successive missed cuts.

Only 164th in this season's Order of Merit, he has the chance this weekend to save himself from a return to the dreaded tour qualifying school in November but he probably needs to finish in the top four to end his worries.

Welshman Mark Mouland, who lost his card last year and is three places lower than Rose on the Money List, is fighting for his future as well - and so far making a good job of it.

The 39-year-old, whose last victory was the 1988 Dutch Open, is in the group in sixth place on seven under after adding a 70 to his opening 67.

Romero came with an inch of the fourth albatross of the European season at the 571-yard second.

''It was the best eagle in the last ten years,'' said the 46-year-old, bidding to become one of the oldest winners in tour history.

''I hit the drive right out of the middle 370 yards and then a four-iron which spun back downwind. It was fantastic.''

Johnson competed in the Swedish skateboarding championships as a youngster, but when he was 15 he tried golf and in six years he got his handicap to plus three and decided to turn professional.

Now, having finished second in the Madeira Island Open in March, the 23-year-old is in the running to be Rookie of the Year.

Gronberg has been coining it in lately. Three weeks ago he was fourth in the European Open and won £75,000, then he moved on to Loch Lomond and earned £62,500 for a hole-in-one.

The 30-year-old went to the turn in 31 and reached ten under before back-to-back bogeys took the wind out of his sails.

Leaney, winner two years ago, had shared the first-round lead with Johnson and after 36 holes he has still to have a bogey.

But whereas there were six birdies in his opening 66, there were only two in his second day 70 at the first and last.

Darren Clarke, knocked off top spot on the Money List by Ernie Els' second place at St Andrews, was battling to avoid the halfway cut at level par with five holes to play.

But then came three birdies for a 69 and the Ulsterman, six behind Allan, cannot be counted out