Jamie McLeary leads at halfway in the Scottish Hydro Challenge after a �second-round 67 moved him to six under. The 28-year-old Peterhead-born player leads Glasgow�s Scott Jamieson, who birdied the last for a 68, by two shots.

Jamie McLeary leads at halfway in the Scottish Hydro Challenge after a second-round 67 moved him to six under.

The 28-year-old Peterhead-born player leads Glasgow's Scott Jamieson, who birdied the last for a 68, by two shots after overcoming a persistent back problem that seriously curtailed his tournament appearances last year.

McLeary, who is attached to Dalmahoy, is playing under a special medical exemption after being diagnosed with a spinal problem which he fears he may have to learn to live with for the remainder of his life. The runner-up to England's Robert Dinwiddie at Cardrona two years ago, he has no intention of allowing his condition to affect his bid to win a first Challenge Tour title.

"I am still feeling my back, but it isn't too bad at the moment," he said. "The keys to my round were keeping the ball in play and putting well from distance. Now I would like to go one better than 2007. I am 57th on the order of merit at the moment, but my aim is a top-45 place to qualify for the Challenge Tour Grand Final and give myself a chance of making it on to the regular tour."

The former Open champion, Paul Lawrie, again shot 71 to finish six adrift of McLeary after declaring himself stunned by the magnitude of Aberdeen's Europa League defeat 24 hours earlier.

Lawrie said he thought Aberdeen were playing Barcelona when he heard the score from Pittodrie on Thursday evening, such was his disbelief when he learned that Czech minnows Sigma Olomouc were leading 5-1 in the qualifying round tie.

Lawrie was at least spared the misery of having to watch Mark McGhee's side suffer their worst European home defeat because of his golfing commitments.

Lawrie, who kept in constant touch with Aberdeen's director of football Willie Miller for updates, said: "When the fifth goal went in I texted Willie, I'm in Aviemore; is it Barcelona we are playing?' "There were a few choice words sent back, I can assure you, but Willie did admit that they were very poor and I am glad now that I had a late-early draw because if it had been the other way round then I would definitely have gone to the game, so I saved myself a bit of heartache."

Lawrie's performance certainly outshone that of his football team, but the 40-year-old confessed that he had struggled to play well and was probably fortunate to have shot level par.

"I made a great bogey on the par-five fifth because it could have been any number after I drove into the heather and eventually had to take a penalty drop and then left it short before made an up and down for a hell of a six," he said. "The course is just so hard and I don't understand why they haven't watered it. But I am not a greenkeeper so there must be a reason."

Lawrie also revealed that his 14-year-old son Craig, who is caddying for him, saved him from recording an incorrect score for the second day running. "My caddie did very well again today," he said. "He had to correct my addition only once as opposed to twice yesterday."