EUROPEAN TOUR– Scandinavian Masters: Korean KJ Choi will try to bridge a seven-year gap in Stockholm this weekend — and with it stop British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen from making a piece of European Tour history.
No winner of the Claret Jug has ever gone on to lift another trophy on the circuit a week later, but Oosthuizen still has that chance after adding a two-under-par 70 to his opening 67 at the Nordea Scandinavian Masters.
However, Choi, whose only previous victory in Europe was the 2003 German Masters, is two ahead of the South African at halfway, with Swede Richard Johnson sandwiched between them.
In what looked like desperation two weeks ago Choi switched to a bizarre-looking side-saddle putting method once used by the great Sam Snead.
But, after missed cuts at the John Deere Classic and St Andrews, the 40-year-old has gone back to a conventional style.
“I need more practice at it. These greens are very slopey,” said Choi, who despite scoring 67 missed a succession of makeable putts over the closing stretch.
Earlier, though, he had eagled the long 15th — his sixth hole of the day — and birdied three of the next four to open a five-stroke lead.
Italian Edoardo Molinari, who with a second place finish could knock Luke Donald out of the all-important top nine on the Ryder Cup table, is still well in touch at five under.
American Cup hopeful Dustin Johnson is only one further back after a 73 containing five birdies, six bogeys and seven pars.
Simon Thornton and Michael Hoey are both on four under and a tie for ninth spot after getting their rounds off to flying starts.
Starting from the tenth, Thornton made five birdies over his first nine holes to turn in 31. A further birdie at the first moved him to five under for the tournament before he posted the only bogey of his round at the second. He recorded pars on the way home to card a 67.
Hoey had an even more eventful day, starting with three straight birdies from the first and adding one at the seventh to move to six under.
A bogey on the 11th was followed by a double-bogey on the par-5 12th. He bounced straight back with an eagle three at long 13th before dropping a shot on the short 17th for a second straight 70.
Damien McGrane will also be in action over the weekend after carding a 71 for level par, but Gary Murphy and Peter Lawrie both signed for 77s and miss out.
SENIORS TOUR– British Open: Bernhard Langer and Corey Pavin share the lead at the halfway stage of the British Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Langer, the former European Ryder Cup captain, added a 71 to his opening 67, while Pavin, America’s skipper at Celtic Manor in October, carded a second successive round of 69 to sit on four under par.
With the wind getting up on Scottish links, anything below par represented a quality score and it came no better than Ian Woosnam’s 67, which saw him vault into a tie for third, just one shot back.
The Welshman, who led the successful European Ryder Cup team at The K Club four years ago, was joined by a trio of Americans on three under par for the championship – Jay Haas, Larry Mize and Dan Forsman.
Des Smyth carded a second straight 74 to lie on six over, while Denis O’Sulivan shot a 76 to make the cut on seven over.
Jimmy Heggarty missed out after an 80 left him on nine over, one shot better than Eamonn Darcy, who carded a 76. Christy O’Connor Jnr retired after five holes of his second round. He was 14 over at the time.
WOMEN'S TOUR– Evian Masters: Japan's Mika Miyazato holds a one-shot advantage at the halfway point of the Evian Masters in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Miyazato shot six birdies in her five under par round of 67, dropping just the one shot at the Par-4 fourth as she moved to nine under par overall.
France’s Gwladys Nocera is her nearest challenger after posting her own round of 67, but she was left to rue a bogey at the last which saw her miss out on a share of the lead.
England’s Melissa Reid, who had held a share of the lead overnight, had an awful day as a triple bogey at the Par-4 fifth, allied to four other dropped shots, saw her fall back to just one under par for the tournament.
AMATEUR– European Women's Championship: Leona Maguire faces a herculean task today in her bid to secure a medal in the European Ladies Amateur Championship in the Czech Republic.
The 15-year-old Curtis Cup star from Slieve Russell goes into the final round over the Kuneticka Course six strokes behind leader Sophia Popov of Germany, who is one ahead of Spaniard Marta Silva and French competitor Manon Gidali.
She is in a tie for 15th place after a 71 yesterday and will need to produce something special to grab one of the top three spots and earn herself a medal.
Her twin sister Lisa did not make any progress as she returned a 72 yesterday for a level par aggregate of 216.
Mary Dowling just made the 54-hole cut on five over par but Charlene Reid on 16 over and Victoria Bradshaw on 20 over both fell by the wayside.
US TOUR– Canadian Open: Brent Delahoussaye couldn't match the fireworks of his opening 62 but the unheralded American still took the clubhouse lead on nine under after a one-under 69 in Toronto.
That was enough to leave him one clear of compatriots JJ Henry, Rob Grube and Brock Mackenzie.
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