GOLF: This time two years ago Sam Torrance was celebrating one of golf history's most memorable Ryder Cup victories, and also coined one of its most memorable phrases. After Europe had beaten the US by 15½-12½ at The Belfry, Torrance said of his team: "Out of the shadows come heroes."

Perhaps the principal hero on that last day was Phillip Price, who produced the performance of his life to beat Phil Mickelson, in an emphatic 3 and 2 win.

But if the Welshman had indeed come from the shadows then it has been back to the shadows that he has retreated this year. Desperate after those glorious Belfry moments to retain his place in the team, instead of soaring he slumped, and this year he has not had a top-10 finish on the European Tour.

Which is why, in his understated way, Price was delighted with his five-under-par 67 over the Duke's course yesterday, a score that took him to nine under and tied for the lead at the halfway stage with Graeme McDowell of Royal Portrush.

Price has been playing a few events on the US Tour but has missed the cut in all of them. The last was three weeks ago in Boston and, completely fed up, he sought a remedy.

He headed for Florida where, almost instantly, David Leadbetter diagnosed the fault. As often happens to a player whose confidence is declining, Price had stopped making a full turn and had started instead to steer the ball rather than hit it.

"It's been a frustrating year," said Price, "but now I am driving the ball well and hitting it really solid."

That would help to explain his birdie, birdie, eagle finish, and it might also help his ambition: to make the 2006 Ryder Cup team.

McDowell also wants to be in that team. With two months to go this year he was in a position where some really good play would have put him in the team, but he could not quite produce it.

"This year," he said yesterday, "has made me very, very hungry to play Ryder Cup. At the start of the season I didn't realise just how realistic a goal making the team was for me. I do now, though, and everything I do from here on in will be geared towards that."

His appetite was further sharpened here as he played with Colin Montgomerie and one of Bernhard Langer's assistants in Detroit, Thomas Bjorn.

"For a few holes it was difficult to get into the frame of mind that I was playing in a golf tournament," he confessed. "I wanted to hear from Monty and Thomas what had gone on. I was in awe of Monty on Sunday - if he could do that every week he'd be unbeatable."

Unfortunately for Montgomerie, he cannot do it every week, and certainly did not do it this week, missing the cut by a distance. "Ran out of concentration," he said in making a quick, but legal, getaway. "Hit two provisional tee-shots at my first hole and after that it really was a question of 'Home James'."

Padraig Harrington, who needs to finish eighth or better to get into the World Matchplay Championship, will need a good weekend after a 71 for a one-under 143.

Guardian Service

(British unless stated, Irish in bold)

135 P Price 68 67, G McDowell (Ire) 67 68.

136 P Sjoland (Swe) 68 68, H Stenson (Swe) 69 67.

138 M Foster 69 69, B Lane 71 67, S Wakefield 70 68.

139 M Fraser (Aus) 70 69, N O'Hern (Aus) 67 72.

140 J Elson 69 71, I Woosnam 71 69, K Eriksson (Swe) 69 71, M Erlandsson (Swe) 70 70, M Nilsson (Swe) 70 70, G Brand Jnr 70 70, A Hansen (Den) 72 68, J-M Lara (Spa) 67 73.

141 S Hansen (Den) 70 71, C Rodiles (Spa) 70 71, D Gilford 73 68, S Fernandez (Arg) 73 68, D Howell 71 70, I Garrido (Spa) 71 70, A Forsyth 73 68, N Dougherty 68 73, D Park 71 70, R Jacquelin (Fra) 68 73, J-F Remesy (Fra) 71 70, M Ilonen (Fin) 70 71.

142 M Maritz (Rsa) 71 71, R Goosen (Rsa) 70 72, R Chapman 69 73, R Russell 68 74, G Emerson 73 69, M-A Martin (Spa) 73 69.

143 F Andersson (Swe) 76 67, R Rock 73 70, M Tunnicliff 74 69, R Green (Aus) 73 70, S Torrance 74 69, A Marshall 71 72, D Lynn 73 70, P Harrington (Ire) 72 71, T Immelman (Rsa) 73 70, J Moseley (Aus) 68 75, J Berendt (Arg) 74 69, (x) J Heath 73 70, C Wittenberg (US) 73 70.

144 S Dodd 76 68, P Golding 73 71, S Gallacher 75 69, R Karlsson (Swe) 72 72, B Dredge 70 74, S Struver (Ger) 75 69, G Murphy (Ire) 71 73, R Muntz (Ned) 75 69, P Senior (Aus) 71 73, P Lawrie (Ire) 72 72, J Sandelin (Swe) 74 70, J-F Lucquin (Fra) 69 75.

145 S Dyson 76 69, G Orr 75 70, M Campbell (Nzl) 72 73, K Ferrie 72 73, J Lomas 72 73, R Fisher 74 71, J Maria Arruti (Spa) 75 70, N Colsaerts (Bel) 74 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 72 73, R-J Derksen (Ned) 76 69, P Lawrie 72 73, R Rashell (USA) 72 73.

146 M Roe 72 74, S Luna (Spa) 75 71, W Ormsby (Aus) 72 74, F Delamontagne (Fra) 75 71, G Havret (Fra) 76 70, M Wiegele (Aut) 73 73, B Davis 78 68, (x) S Osborne 70 76, P Baker 72 74, S Scahill (Nzl) 74 72, S Little 69 77, M Blackey 76 70, M Lafeber (Ned) 73 73, E Canonica (Ita) 76 70, S Khan 73 73, B Mason 76 70, S O'Hara 76 70, R Coles 70 76, M Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 73 73.

MISSED CUT

147 J Bickerton 76 71, D McGrane (Ire) 71 76, P Fulke (Swe) 74 73, R McEvoy 74 73, D Dixon 72 75, P Fowler (Aus) 76 71, C Rocca (Ita) 71 76, J Spence 76 71, A McLean 77 70.

148 D Robertson 74 74, C Montgomerie 71 77, D Carter 73 75, C Cevaer (Fra) 75 73, G Paddison (Nzl) 75 73, M Olander (Swe) 73 75, R Sterne (Rsa) 75 73, I Poulter 77 71, M Hazelden 76 72.

149 G Owen 74 75, T Bjorn (Den) 71 78, A Coltart 76 73, J Clement (Swi) 78 71, P Hedblom (Swe) 75 74, M Cort 77 72, M Lemesurier 75 74.

150 N Sato (Spa) 77 73.

151 J-M Carriles (Spa) 75 76, P Lima (Fra) 71 80, M Mackenzie 77 74, D Borrego (Spa) 75 76, S Drummond 75 76, C Gane 78 73.

152 Z Scotland 76 76, I Pyman 73 79.

153 J Edfors (Swe) 77 76, N Reilly 78 75, S Lyle 73 80.

154 E Little 78 76, S Webster 78 76, M Jonzon (Swe) 77 77.

155 I Giner (Spa) 80 75, A Groom (Aus) 76 79.

156 A Lovelace 82 74.

157 T Dier (Ger) 80 77.

158 J Hepworth 78 80.

Retired: C Monasterio (Arg).