BASSALEG'S Phillip Price went to the turn in a sparkling 31 to be the early outright leader in the Telefonica Madrid Open at Club de Campo today.

While South African Retief Goosen took another step towards the European Order of Merit title by covering the front nine in 33, Price collected three birdies in the first four holes and after another at the long seventh hit his tee shot to 10ft on the 177-yard ninth and made that putt as well.

It left the Newport golfer, 35 last Sunday, one ahead of defending champion Padraig Harrington and Mansfield's Greg Owen, who eagled the fourth and birdied the next two.

Harrington was playing with Price on the course where he also won the 1996 Spanish Open in his rookie season, and his front nine contained three birdies, a bogey at the fifth, but also an eagle on the 540-yard seventh.

Goosen, effectively home and dry as Europe's new number one if Darren Clarke does not win on Sunday, birdied the fourth, seventh and eighth to be in a tie for third place. Clarke, £473,000 behind Goosen on the money list, was among the later starters, but since he does not plan to play in the Italian Open next week, it is a case of win-or-bust for the Ulsterman now.

And even if he does triumph this weekend and Goosen misses the cut, Clarke would still have to win the Volvo Masters in a fortnight and the US Open champion would have to be down at the rear of the field.

lGlyn Davies saw his chances of lifting the Starwood PGA of Europe title in Sardinia blown off course yesterday - but the Pontypool veteran has still made that half way cut.

A splendid two under par 70 in his first round on Tuesday kept him well up with the pace but yesterday as scores generally soared Davies slumped to an 80 but that was not by any means the worst return of a horrendous day weather-wise.

The notorious Mediterranean breezes blew across the undulating Pevero course causing all sorts of problems for all the players.

"It was a different story today. Conditions are so variable that club selection is a nightmare. The wind can either suddenly drop or arrive half way through a shot and you end up way out," said Davies.