The dream faded fast and hard for Roy Wegerle, the professional footballer turned hopeful professional golfer, yesterday, but it was a day to cherish for a self-confessed "big Liverpool fan" from the Wirral setting out on his career.

A disastrous second round of 80 in the Alfred Dunhill Championship meant that the 37-year-old former Premiership striker Wegerle missed the cut by 13 shots after qualifying for his first professional tournament. "I took an old-fashioned hammering," he admitted ruefully.

Wegerle compared his round of eight bogeys and a double bogey as "like losing six-nil at Old Trafford" but was happy to put it down to experience. "It was just one of those days but we had a laugh about it."

But Sandeep Grewal, an Englishman of Indian descent from Bidston, exceeded his wildest expectations with an eight-under-par 64 to share the halfway lead at 10 under with a local Houghton club member, Roger Wessels.

Grewal turned 21 last month and will be playing on the Challenge Tour this year after failing to earn a card for the European Tour.

After his first-round 70, he made the most of the good early conditions yesterday and never looked back after opening with three birdies and the first of his two eagles at the fifth.

Grewal, whose grandfather played in goal for India at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, missed the cut in this event last year but admitted: "This is a massive surprise. The main aim was to make the cut so I could play in the next Sunshine Tour event next week."

Paul McGinley, joint leader after the first round, had two eagles, including holing a bunker shot, but could only manage a 71 to finish on seven under - three off the lead - with 17 players within three shots of the leaders.

Northern Ireland amateur Michael Hoey, although failing to make the cut, had a hole-in-one using a nine-iron at the 161-yard par-three 12th and later in the day South African Jaco van Zyl also holed out with an eight iron at the the same hole.

The European 2001 order of merit winner Retief Goosen had a 67 that took him to nine under par. Ominously for the rest of the field, without holing a putt of any size for two days, Goosen is only one shot off the pace.

"My putting is holding me back. I'm struggling to make a decent stroke and get the ball on line but I'm on the verge of starting to play really well," Goosen said.

Anthony Wall, the son of a London cabbie, who won here two years ago, is tied with Goosen after also returning a 67.

He said: "I've always found this course comfortable to play. There are a lot of holes that need a little draw and that suits me. It's nice to be in contention again; I haven't been since September."

The rollercoaster round of the day was undoubtedly a 69 by the South African journeyman Wallie Coetsee. The son of a tomato farmer from Tzaneen, Coetsee humbled the course with an outward nine of 29.

But an approach shot into a flowerbed ensured a double bogey at the 11th before three more bogeys saw him come home in 40.