MORAVIA SILESIA OPEN:GRAEME STORM, relieved to discover last week that he did not have swine flu, shares the lead with fellow Englishman Steve Webster after two rounds of the Moravia Silesia Open in the Czech Republic.
Having set himself a target of “three or four under” each day the Hartlepool golfer had his second successive 68 for an eight under total.
“I wasn’t very well for five days after The Open and had a look at the help line for swine flu,” Storm explained.
“But it was just a stomach upset.
“I had a week off and just did a bit of gym work. I decided not to touch a club and it seems to have worked for me.
“I thought the scores were not going to be mega-low. I’m not saying my target is going to win, but I think it will be contending right to the death.”
“Although it is a little tricky with the wind changing all over the place. If I can stick to that, that is my goal.
Webster followed up his opening 66 with a 70, but moved from second to first because Argentina’s Tino Goya fared 10 strokes worse with a 75.
The former winner of the Italian Open and Portugal Masters came back from a lost ball on the 14th, his fifth. “It was only 10 yards off the fairway, but it was early and there was no marshall there,” he said. “That’s life.”
It was a great day for Belfast professional Gareth Maybin, who included an albatross two on the par five eighth and six birdies in a superb six-under-par 66 that left him three shots off the lead.
Sam Little and John Bickerton are only one behind compatriot Storm’s lead, along with Dutchman Maarten Lafeber and Spaniard Ignacio Garrido.
Bristol 21-year-old Chris Wood, third in the British Open, has five strokes to make up after a 70.
Wood missed last week’s event in Sweden after hurting his wrist in rough at Turnberry.
“I had an MRI and it was swollen around the joints and ligaments, but the cartilage was fine. That was the worry,” he said.
“I didn’t hit a ball for five or six days and coming here my game felt a bit ropey.
“People said they were surprised to see me here, but three weeks without playing would have been a bit too much before the USPGA.”
Course designer Miguel Angel Jimenez is one further back, as is 49-year-old South African David Frost in his last event on the European circuit before going off to prepare for his Champions Tour debut in the United States in September.
Apart from Maybin’s great round It wasn’t such a great day for the Irish in Celadná yesterday, with only Michael Hoey and Damien McGrane also surviving the half-way cut, set at one-over par.
Ballymoney 30-year-old Hoey returned a second successive 71, for two-under overnight, while McGrane’s 71 left him on level par.
Second round 72s were not good enough for Irish Open champion Shane Lowry and Kilkenny professional Gary Murphy to make it to the weekend, after opening rounds of 77 and 79, respectively.
Peter Lawrie shot 75 yesterday, to finish on 10-over par 154.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)