Hoey out in Germany

By Brian Keogh

Michael Hoey slumped to a second round 76 to crash out of the Vodafone Challenge in Germany.

But it was also a day to forget for the rest of the Irish as Colm Moriarty and Stephen Browne also failed to progress.

Moriarty finished on seven over after a 74 with Browne four shots further back after five bogeys and a double bogey in a 77.

Swede Magnus A Carlsson, 26, scorched into a six-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard after an amazing 10 under par 62.

Without a top ten to his credit this season, the Stockholm ace hit 11 birdies and dropped just one stroke to lead from Argentine Juan Abbate and compatriot Leif Westerberg.

Despite a bogey at his opening hole, Carlsson picked up six birdies on the back nine at An der Elfrather Muhle near Dusseldord to turn in five under par 31.

But he didn't let up on the way home, picking up five more birdies to set up a great chance of his first tour win.

Hoey 27, missed the cut by two shots when he failed to make even one birdie and finished on two over par.

It was Hoey's first failure since the Kenya Open four months ago but he will still remain inside the top 20 on the money list who earn European Tour cards at the end of the season.

Moriarty and Browne badly needed to hit form soon as the race for European Tour cards hots up.

The Athlone man is 127th in the Challenge Tour rankings with Browne a lowly 134th after missing eight of 11 cuts so far.