Garrido surges clear with a record 63

SEVILLE, Spain -- Ignacio Garrido delighted the home fans by playing "the best golf of my life" as he broke the course record with a round of nine-under 63 and established a four-stroke lead in the Spanish Open at Seville's Real Club.

Garrido fired nine birdies to pull clear of Swede Martin Erlandssson, who did little wrong by following his first round record-breaking 65 with an impressive 68.

Garrido, eldest son of former Ryder Cup player Antonio, finished strongly on the opening day and played superbly in round two to finish on 15-under-par 129.

The Spaniard said: "That was probably the best golf of my life -- I played perfectly, and had lots of fun out there. We play a very tough sport, so it's important to enjoy the good days. It can go fantastically well one day then not so great the next, so I'm not getting carried away.

"This is a great golf course but it's also very demanding -- you can't afford to lose concentration for a minute. I haven't visited the rough too often, otherwise I wouldn't be in this position. The mental side of my game has been good."

Erlandsson bogeyed the par-four first, but followed with an eagle at the par-five fifth.

He had another bogey at the 17th hole but four birdies helped him to 133.

He said: "Obviously Ignacio's round put the pressure on me, but I also saw it as a good opportunity to post a low score round here.

" I was probably a bit tense on the first few holes, but I decided to go back to basics and relax more, and it did the trick.

"I feel really good about my chances. I enjoy getting in positions to win tournaments and testing myself."

Australian Peter Fowler was one of four players sharing third spot after an impressive six-under-par second round of 66.

Alongside him were England's David Lynn, Spaniard Carlos Rodiles and Marco Ruiz of Paraguay.

Local favorite Miguel Angel Jimenez is one of six players sharing seventh place on 137, seven under par, after shooting 67.

Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, a winner in Asia last weekend, is three under par for the tournament but outside the top 30.

Colin Montgomerie avoided missing the cut by just one shot after he had a disappointing 73, which left him on 143.

John Daly's second round 70 was an improvement but not sufficient to keep him in the event. He finished on 145.

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel also missed the cut, the South African's second round 70 putting him on 74. E-mail to a friend