EUROPEAN TOURSO MUCH for the big, happy family that is European golf. With 48 hours left until Nick Faldo announces his Ryder Cup squad to play the United States next month the pressure finally told on two potential team members yesterday as they forsook the pressing business of catching the captain's eye on the golf course to indulge themselves in a catfight off it.

"Oh well, it is nice to be told what to do by one so young and so inexperienced," said an apoplectic Colin Montgomerie last night at Gleneagles, where he is competing in the Johnnie Walker Championship. He was responding to comments by Ian Poulter in Boston, where he is competing in a PGA tour event, to the effect that Monty should mind his own business after the Scotsman claimed the Englishman had a "hot line" to Faldo.

"I don't need to talk about Monty," said Poulter, then immediately ignored his own advice. "He should just keep his head down and try to play good golf."

"Can you believe he said that?" came Monty's response. "The only reason we said he had a hot line to Nick Faldo is that he is the only one saying he had spoken to Nick. Has anyone else said it? No. Right then."

With that the Scot flounced off to the car park, leaving observers to wonder what the next instalment of this transatlantic slanging match would bring. What it probably will not bring, at least for Montgomerie and Poulter, is a call from captain Faldo telling them they are both in the team. In the current circumstances it is hard to believe they could play in the same continent, far less the same uniform, without getting into an argument. It will be either one or the other come tomorrow evening.

Or possibly neither.

If that sounds inconclusive it is entirely in keeping with a Ryder Cup selection process that grows ever foggier - and, it has to be said, ever more gripping - as tomorrow's denouement approaches.

As many as six players were in contention for the final three spots in the European team before the start of the Johnnie Walker Championship and as yesterday's second round headed towards its conclusion all six were still in contention.

"I know this sounds silly to say, but it feels a bit like you are playing for your life," said Soren Hansen, who started the week ninth in the Ryder Cup points list.

The Dane needed a good performance to cement his place on the team and was halfway there after shooting a two-under-par 71 to finish on four under overall for the round.

That left him tied for seventh, three shots behind the 36-hole leader, Gregory Havret.

Justin Rose was another who looked set to confirm his place on the team, ending the day on two under par.

That leaves one spot for Oliver Wilson, Nick Dougherty or Ross Fisher, with Wilson the strong favourite.

When the week began, the smart money was on two from Poulter, Paul Casey and Darren Clarke in the wildcard race.

The Irishman, who won last week's KLM Open in Holland, is the only one playing here this week and finished yesterday with a 36-hole total of 145, one under par.

Clarke has made a brilliant effort to extend his string of Ryder Cup appearances to six but for reasons not entirely clear his odds of making Faldo's team are judged to be slim and getting slimmer.

It is not fair, he might think, but then as everyone who has played the game for a living knows, golf is never fair. Guardian Service

GLENEAGLES SECOND ROUND

(Irish in bold, British unless stated)

139 -G Havret (Fra) 68 71

140 - R Rock 70 70

141 - P Whiteford 73 68, B Dredge 71 70

142 - G Orr 70 72, M Campbell (Nzl) 73 69, D Howell 75 67, S Hansen (Den) 71 71

143 - F Molinari (Ita) 73 70, F Delamontagne (Fra) 75 68, R Gonzalez (Arg) 76 67, G Storm 74 69

144 - C Wood 75 69, P Waring 73 71, C Montgomerie 74 70, M Siem (Ger) 74 70, R Echenique (Arg) 76 68, D Lynn 73 71, P Broadhurst 70 74, A Wall 71 73, J Rose 73 71, L Westwood 72 72

145 - C Cevaer (Fra) 70 75, M Wiegele (Aut) 71 74, A Haig (Rsa) 75 70, P Baker 75 70, N Dougherty 73 72, Darren Clarke (NIrl) 72 73, S Dyson 73 72, J M Lara (Spa) 75 70, G Paddison (Nzl) 72 73, LS James 72 73, I Garrido (Spa) 74 71, Paul McGinley (Irl) 76 69, M Fraser (Aus) 75 70

146 - P Sjoland (Swe) 72 74, R Fisher 72 74, L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 75 71, J Edfors (Swe) 73 73, T Jaidee (Tha) 73 73, P Hanson (Swe) 74 72, J Donaldson 75 71, B Teilleria (Fra) 71 75, J Lomas 72 74

147 - S Gray 75 72, A Velasco (Spa) 74 73, S Gallacher 75 72, L Claverie (Spa) 75 72, B Barham 77 70, E Canonica (Ita) 72 75, P O'Malley (Aus) 78 69

148 - O Wilson 76 72, R Dinwiddie 82 66, P Edberg (Swe) 73 75, S Mcewan 78 70, P McKechnie 75 73, L Slattery 77 71, M Jonzon (Swe) 78 70, P Fowler (Aus) 75 73, G Fdez-Castano (Spa) 75 73, J Abbate (Arg) 72 76, M Millar (Aus) 74 74, R Arnott 76 72, M Brown (USA) 78 70, A Quiros (Spa) 74 74, D Vancsik (Arg) 77 71, S Walker 76 72, Gary Murphy (Irl) 75 73, G Bourdy (Fra) 71 77, M Foster 73 75.

Missed the cut

149 - S Webster 78 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 76 73, S Drummond 75 74, M Kaymer (Ger) 76 73, A Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 77 72, C Rodiles (Spa) 78 71, Peter Lawrie (Irl) 75 74, R l Jacquelin (Fra) 73 76, D Dixon 79 70, P Lawrie 76 73, A Canizares (Spa) 75 74, J Lucquin (Fra) 78 71, P Golding 76 73

150 - M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 79 71, Damien McGrane (Irl) 78 72, S Alker (Nzl) 76 74, M Erlandsson (Swe) 77 73, S Manley 75 75, D Willett 80 70, M Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 78 72, P Hedblom (Swe) 78 72, P Larrazabal (Spa) 76 74, M A Carlsson (Swe) 75 75, Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 76 74, S Struver (Ger) 80 70, M Tunnicliff 81 69, B Lane 76 74

151 - I Pyman 76 75, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 78 73, F Zanotti (Par) 79 72, P Johansson (Swe) 80 71, P Price 77 74, S Luna (Spa) 75 76, C Nirat (Tha) 78 73

152 - G Houston 75 77, H Nystrom (Swe) 79 73, S Kapur (Ind) 80 72, M Lafeber (Ned) 76 76, D Fichardt (Rsa) 76 76, A McLardy (Rsa) 82 70, S Wakefield 78 74, L Saltman 76 76, J Lima (Por) 71 81, A Forsyth 79 73, A Canete (Arg) 73 79, T Levet (Fra) 77 75, E Molinari (Ita) 80 72

153 - B Saltus (USA) 79 74, J Are Larsen (Nor) 78 75, G Hutcheon 76 77, J Zapata (Arg) 77 76, Simon Khan 79 74, S Bebb 74 79, M Warren 73 80, P Martin (Spa) 77 76, S Osborne 74 79

154 - C Lee 83 71, H Otto (Rsa) 78 76, P Linhart (Spa) 75 79, D Griffiths 78 76

155 - C Suneson (Spa) 80 75, D Drysdale 77 78, J McCreadie 80 75, D Orr 75 80, O Fisher 76 79 156 - F Andersson Hed (Swe) 81 75, S Cairns 79 77, J Luiten (Ned) 79 77, K Sullivan 80 76, P Archer 78 78, S Little 76 80, T Aiken (Rsa) 80 76 157 - J Gonnet (Fra) 80 77

159 - M Lundberg (Swe) 81 78, J Backstrom (Swe) 79 80, M Ilonen (Fin) 83 76, M Loftus 77 82

160 - F Praegant (Aut) 79 81, M Mamat (Sin) 82 78

161 - R Finch 83 78 164 - P Terreni (Ita) 82 82 165 - K Mcnicoll 82 83, J Kamte (Rsa) 83 82.