Italian open: Robert Karlsson set his sights on retaining his place in the Europe Ryder Cup team after turning down a start in the Players Championship in Florida and opting for the Italian Open where he posted a course-record 11-under-par 61 yesterday.

Robert Karlsson set his sights on retaining his place in the Europe Ryder Cup team after turning down a start in the Players Championship in Florida and opting for the Italian Open where he posted a course-record 11-under-par 61 yesterday.

The 37-year-old Monaco-based Swede led by two at the halfway stage from the South African Hennie Otto and the Englishman Mark Foster with a 15-under-par aggregate of 129 on another day of low scoring in perfect conditions over the Tolcinasco Castle course, near Milan, which is no pushover at 7283 yards and with heavy rough close to the fairways.

Only three of the 12 Scots in the field made the cut, headed by Marc Warren, who added a 70 to his opening 65 to lie six adrift. "I'm still in with a shout but Robert will be tough to catch over the weekend," he said.

Karlsson's decision to play here was based on uncertainty whether his place in the world top 50, following an eighth-place finish in the Masters, would hold for long enough to play at Sawgrass. As it happened, he is No.48 and could have teed it up again in the US, but he is anything but downhearted.

"I probably would have gone to Sawgrass if I had been even a couple of places higher, but it has worked out well," said father-of-two Karlsson, whose sponsors Conte of Florence are happy he is here. "I would also have been more tired travelling back for next week's Irish Open. Doing it this way means I can see the family as well."

There is about four times as much money on offer in the US as there is in Italy, where the first prize tomorrow is £220,000, the approximate amount that will go to the player who is sixth in America, but Karlsson believes playing here will be better for his Ryder Cup hopes.

American money does not count for the European points list on which Karlsson is sixth and currently in an automatic selection spot. "If I continue to do well it will be nice to get these points," he said.

"My caddie got a text from Nick O'Hern's caddie in Sawgrass saying greens rock hard, fairways rock hard, rough very thick, greens running 13 and forecast high winds', so maybe it is good that I am here."

Karlsson hit only 60 shots yesterday. The other was a penalty for finding water at the 13th where he had a bogey 5, the only blemish in a round that featured eagle threes at the 15th (his sixth) and first, with eight birdies elsewhere, all from putts of 12 feet or less.

Warren, the 27-year-old who won the World Cup last year with Colin Mongomerie, had a frustrating day on the greens. The 12-footer for a birdie three at the last was the longest he holed all day. His run of three birdies in a row from the ninth came from putts of 3ft or less.

With the weight of meeting the requirements of his medical exemption last week off his back, Gary Orr had a second 69 yesterday. "That had been in the back of my mind and it's one less thing to think about," said the Helensburgh-attached player who is 41 tomorrow.

"My back feels better than it has for a long time and my game is close to being as good as it's ever been," said Orr, whose round came alight when he almost holed his tee shot with a six-iron at the 168-yard 14th and followed with two more birdies, chipping in for another two at the 16th.

Alastair Forsyth, winner of the Madeira Island Open this year, improved by eight shots with a 66 yesterday to make the cut right on the 140 mark, and it was a close-run thing. He found water with his tee shot at the last and after a penalty drop hit an eight iron to a foot to save par.

"I'm hitting the ball left, right, off the heel and off the toe. Another two competitive rounds will help me find something. You're not going to get your game back sitting on a plane," he said.

Steven O'Hara, 22nd in Spain last week, had looked good to survive into the weekend until a double-bogey six at the last for a 69 left him one too many, the same as Stephen Gallacher, who also had a 69.