Golf/Diageo Open: Tentative plans are afoot to hold a G8 summit here next year, but given the weather during the first 48 hours of the Scottish PGA Championship the politicians might be advised to look elsewhere.

After Thursday's violent storm came yesterday's wind and it blew the way golfers hate most: gusting to 40 m.p.h. and changing direction made shot selection impossible.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell summed it up perfectly. "Every now and again you would get a nasty gust and you had to rush your routine a little bit to get the shot in. You had to choose just the right second to play."

McDowell, though, chose his moments well to shoot a steady 71 to move into a share of second place at four under, whereas most of the field was moving backwards in the sea of blue figures that represent bogeys or worse on tour.

Exceptions to the rule were rare in an elusive search for consistency, best illustrated by the form of the joint overnight leader Miles Tunnicliff. Starting at five under, he mixed two bogeys with three birdies in his first eight holes. The Malaga-based Englishman at least steadied over the back nine to shoot 68 and lead by five.

Paul McGinley kept his cool in the conditions for a one-over-par 73 that left him in joint fourth spot on three under par, and Gary Murphy remained in the hunt with a creditable 74 to be three shots further back.

And Philip Walton proved he still knows how to battle. Standing on the seventh tee, his 16th, Walton was one shot outside the cut and in real danger of having the weekend off. But birdies at the eighth and ninth were good enough to move the Malahide golfer into the top 50 and leaves him in a position to make a significant move on the Order of Merit.

But Damien McGrane, with a 77, and Peter Lawrie, with a 78, were headed home early.

Spare a thought for Spain's Diego Borrego, who ran up a 10 at the 16th in a finish that saw eight shots fall by the wayside in four holes.