15 July 2011 14:37 GMT

Thomas Bjorn has relinquished the lead in the Championship that he held overnight after a superb opening round of 65. It looked like it was slipping away from him completely when he dropped three shots in a row from the second, but birdies at the fifth, seventh and 10th have restored him briefly to the top of the leaderboard. But further bogeys at the 12th and 14th brought him home with a round of 72 and at three under he just one shot behind the current leaders.

Darren Clarke and Lucas Glover were back in the clubhouse at lunchtime with four under par totals and still out on the course and looking like the only man with a chance of overtaking them is Miguel Angel Jimenez. He is at three under with two holes to play.

After yesterday’s round Bjorn said: “I’m 40 years old and there might just be a little bit more in me.” He admitted that he lost his swing for a couple of years after he came close to winning the Championship over this same course in 2003. “I found golf extremely difficult,” he said. “But I always look ahead.”

He knew he wasn’t in the greatest of form when he arrived at Royal St George’s after a late call up from the reserve list and his five under first round was a massive step. “I was very strong on the golf course and I stayed with it all the way round,” he said.

His gutsy performance today keeps him firmly in the running over the weekend.