Despite weather delays and having to cut short his second round in murky light yesterday, Darren Clarke's bid to claim the Scandinavian Masters and move to second in the European Order of Merit is still on course.

Clarke did not tee off until early evening following a four-hour suspension in the morning after the Kungsangen course had been saturated by teeming, overnight rain.

But the Ulsterman shrugged off the adversity and tackled the hard part of the difficult and often perplexing European Tour-owned course to stay well in contention. He must finish off his second round this morning.

Clarke, who started on the 10th, showed his intent with early birdies, but then dropped shots to hold himself back, particularly on the 18th, which he double-bogeyed. Two birdies after the turn, though, put Clarke right back in the thick of things.

On five-under-par with two holes still to come, Clarke is three shots off the lead held by Jesper Parnevik.

But while Parnevik had surged ahead playing the easier front nine of the Stockholm course, Clarke had to do the hard part on the back nine first, and there may not be much between them by midmorning today because the Swede still has four tough holes to come.

The third round could well develop into an action-replay between the two battlers of Troon, who finally had to settle for runner-up places behind Justin Leonard last year.

Parnevik is looking for a second Scandinavian victory after clinching the 1995 title in Sweden.

US Tour-based Parnevik is two strokes in front of another Swede, Michael Jonzon, who has three holes to go. The clubhouse leaders are England's Brian Davis and another Swede, Mathias Gronberg. Paul Broadhurst is also on the five-under mark with two holes to go today.

Clarke's private battle with Colin Montgomerie for the European number two slot could prove an absorbing battle this weekend. It all depends on Clarke taking the £133,330 pounds first prize, of course.

But if he doesn't do that, he can still make great inroads on the order of merit positions, because Montgomerie went decidedly off-song yesterday, despite at one time moving to within one stroke of the lead. Two double-bogeys after the turn plunged the Scot off the leaderboard to finish with a 74 which left him right on the projected cut-off mark of two-over-par.

These days it is also a battle within battles for the Irish Dunhill Cup team. On Thursday Paul McGinley looked as though he would be handing over advantage to Padraig Harrington and Philip Walton when he slid to six-over-par. But some stirring stuff to close in the first round, picking up four shots late-on with two birdies and an eagle, turned his fortunes round then, and yesterday he did it again.

Looking as though he would miss the cut after bogeying the 14th to go three-over, McGinley did the conjuring trick again, this time chipping to a foot on the 17th to get back the stroke which could yet see him into the final two rounds.

As a crestfallen Walton had to sign for a 77 and seven-over to easily miss the cut - undone mostly, it seemed, by loss of concentration as he only just made his tee-off in time following the restart mayhem - McGinley looks home and dry. That is because there is only next week's German Open to count before the Irish duo to play with Clarke will be decided.

McGinley is £32,000 ahead of Walton, who trails Padraig Harrington by £12,000. Harrington lay level-par last night with three holes to go.

McGinley said: "I'm thrilled to have made it. It was a wonderful cut to make when you consider I was six-over-par after seven holes on Thursday. And, of course, it is very important cut to make this week."

It was a crushing back nine which left Eamonn Darcy also probably missing the cut on three-over after a 75. He had moved into a share of the lead on four-under-par by the turn, but then came up against the marathon home holes to make five bogeys and a double-bogey on the last.

Des Smyth needs to keep good momentum on that back nine this morning. He has five holes still to come and lies one-over-par.

Raymond Burns played on pride only, admitting to lost confidence after his awful run of late, but improved with a 75 for 13-over-par.