JEREMY Robinson fired in another impressive display on the second day of the Italian Open in Sardinia.

The Evesham golfer added a three-under par 69 to his opening day's 66 for a half-way total of nine-under.

That leaves him just three shots off joint leaders Elliot Boult, of New Zealand, and Aussie Richard Green.

For the third year 34-year-old Robinson is walking a tightrope as he battles to retain his European Tour card -- a finish on the leaderboard would guarantee his place on the main event next year.

It was an up-and-down round for Robinson who shot six birdies and three bogeys at the Is Molas course.

And it was a similar story for Crowle's John Bickerton who recorded five birdies before dropping three shots for a second round 70 to leave him two shots further back.

A five-under-par round from David Park saw the Hereford ace leap up the leaderboard to share a place with Bickerton and Lee Westwood at seven-under going into today's third round.

But Westwood, the world number five, has not given up hope of reeling in the leaders if he can find a remedy for his ills on the greens over the weekend.

"It was the same story as Thursday," the 27-year-old Order of Merit leader said. "I holed nothing and it got very frustrating.

"I played pretty scrappily round the front nine -- crap to be fair. It was very average until the 15th when I made three birdies in a row but even then I hit some pretty poor shots."