Corey Pavin tops Senior Open leaderboard with Bernhard Langer

IT was flying at close to half mast at St Andrews. The absence of an American from the top six in an Open Championship for only the second time in 50 years saw to that. But, in the Carnoustie breeze on the other side of the Tay Estuary, the Stars and Stripes is back fluttering near the top of the flagpole.

Unlike, it seems, the younger generation, Uncle Sam's senior brigade are still the men to beat on links courses. The presence of 20 American players in the top 27 at the halfway stage of the Senior Open Championship surely provides proof of where the power lies in the over-50s majors. Germany's Bernhard Langer, the joint-leader on four-under-par, and Welshman Ian Woosnam, lying one shot off the pace in joint-third, will both be heading into the final 36 holes with high hopes of landing their first senior major. The American contingent in the running for a top prize of just over 200,000, however, possesses quality as well as quantity.

Corey Pavin, sharing the lead with Langer, almost won on the PGA Tour this season, former Masters champion Larry Mize, Jay Haas and Dan Forsman are alongside Woosnam and Mark Calcavecchia, who only recently finished playing on the regular Tour, is also within striking distance of the leaders on two-under. Add in John Cook, Russ Cochran and Jay Don Blake, all on one-under, as well as Olin Browne (level), defending champion Loren Roberts and Jeff Sluman (both one-over), amongst others, and the final leaderboard tomorrow night appears as though it's going to look a lot different to the one at St Andrews last Sunday.

On another pleasant day on the Angus coast, Pavin was the first player to make his move, the current American Ryder Cup captain doing little wrong as he covered the opening 17 holes in four-under - he cut a 5-wood into ten feet for a rare birdie at the 232-yard 16th - to stand six-under for the tournament. However, he became the latest in a long line of players to discover the test on this course continues until the bitter end. A double-bogey 6, which saw him signing for a second consecutive 69, was caused by a pulled second shot that went out of bounds. "I was trying to hit it at the right bunker and let the wind bring it back to the middle of the green," said the 50-year-old who lives in Dallas. "I just started it too far left and knew it was going to be in trouble the second I hit it. But, you know, it's still a very good round of golf today."

Pavin, who lost to Bubba Watson in a play-off at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut less than a month ago, is not the demonstrative character, on the outside at least, that wore a 'desert storm' cap during the Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island in 1991. However, his determination to win is still the same as it was then and also when he lifted the US Open at Shinnecock Hills in 1995. "I may not be as demonstrative as I used to be with my emotions, but they are in there, trust me. I think I'm still as fiery - I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," he said.

Insisting he doesn't have any problems at the moment switching off from the Ryder Cup to concentrate on his own game, though he expects to become more pre-occupied with that during the three-week period he'll mull over his four wild cards, Pavin offered his opinion on why so many Americans are doing well this week. "I think it's an attribute of respecting the Open Championship and, thus, respecting the Senior Open Championship," he said. "I think a lot of the Americans here enjoy this type of golf. I love playing links golf. I wish I could play it more."

Pavin's last-hole slip up meant Langer was still sharing the lead when he headed out in the afternoon. Thanks to back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh, the German also got it to six-under for the tournament but then dropped shots at the two par-3s coming home - the 13th and 16th. "I think it's a very good score," he said of a 71, pointing to the fact a freshening southeasterly wind had made the conditions tougher for the later starters.

Haas, who has earned more than $10 million on the Champions Tour alone over the past four-and-a-half years, birdied the last for his 69 to sit alongside compatriots Mize (70) and Forsman (71), as well as Woosnam, who catapulted himself up the leaderboard with a 67, the day's best score matched by his close friend and business partner, DJ Russell.

Woosnam, the European Senior Tour No 1 two seasons ago, is lying 41st on this year's order of merit, but gave his confidence a timely boost with a round that contained five birdies, the sole blemish being a bogey at the 16th. "I'm really pleased because I have played so poorly this year," said the former Masters champion. "I've been working on too many things and just tried to keep it simple today. I'm not full of confidence at the moment but it will come back."

Three-time winner Tom Watson birdied the last for a 71 and, at three-over, certainly can't be discounted, but Sandy Lyle's hopes of adding this major to his Open Championship and Masters wins are over for another year. Tipped by many, including title holder Roberts, to do well here, Lyle signed off with three bogeys in a 77 that saw him finish on ten-over, missing the cut by three shots.

Sam Torrance, who started the day just two off the lead at two-under, slipped back to four-over - Ross Drummond, Bill Longmuir and Fraser Mann also made the cut on that mark with Gordon Brand Jnr qualifying on six-over - after a 76, the damage being caused by two double-bogeys on the back nine. "I birdied the second and was thinking that it would be a decent sort of day - but it proved me wrong," said Torrance, last season's European Senior Tour No 1. "It?s disappointing because I was right in there after two holes but I just played terrible, It was one of those days where I struggled."

Russell, the man who designed the two courses at Archerfield Links and is attached to the East Lothian club, jumped into a tie for 11th thanks to his excellent four-under effort. "I'm absolutely ecstatic to break 70 for the first time round this course, which is certainly the best test in Scotland," said the Englishman, who recorded his breakthrough win recently in the PGA Seniors' Championship at Slaley Hall.

Finishing late in the day, Carnoustie member Mann, who was three-over for his round but then covered the last ten holes in level-par, was equally pleased with himself after making the cut. "This is the biggest tournament I've played in and to have it in your home town is fantastic," he said. "To make the cut with all my family watching - my wife, my mum and my brother - is nice and now I can go out in the next two rounds and be a bit bolder."