THREE-PUTT BOGEY AT LAST LEAVES LONGMUIR
FIVE OFF PACE IN FRENCH SENIOR OPEN

By STEVEN FRANKLIN
Press Officer, European Seniors Tour

Anglo-Scot Bill Longmuir will take an outside chance of victory into the final day of the Open de France Senior Divonne after finishing today’s second round with a hugely disappointing three-putt.
The bogey four at the short 18th saw Longmuir, who is chasing his sixth European Seniors Tour title and his first since 2005, sign for a second consecutive 71 and a 36 hole total of two under par 142 at Golf du Domaine de Divonne.
There is a three-way tie at the top of a bunched leaderboard with former PGA Championship winner Tony Johnstone of Zimbabwe, Chile’s Guillermo Encina and Australian David Good all on seven under par 137.
In all, 20 players finished the second day within five strokes of the lead.
Johnstone closed with back-to-back birdies to keep alive his hopes of a maiden Seniors victory.
The Sunningdale-based Zimbabwean, winner at Wentworth Club in 1992 during a successful European Tour career, ground out a second round of two under par 70.
Johnstone (67-70), Guillermo Encina of Chile (68-69) and Australian David Good (68-69) are all on seven under par, one stroke better than Japan’s Seiji Ebihara, a former winner of the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit, and the Spanish duo of Juan Quiros and Emilio Rodriguez.
Johnstone, who mixed seven birdies with three bogeys and one-double bogey in his 70, said: “I think I have been putting too much pressure on myself trying to force a win. I said to my caddie: ‘Let’s get back into the old habit we had on the main tour when I played shot by shot instead of thinking I want my first win’.
“I am trying to stay in the present and try not to think about it. When I win it will be great. The reason we are all out here is to compete. It’s a great sport when you can be out here when you are over 50 and still competing. The Seniors Tour is wonderful.”

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
137 Tony Johnstone (Zim) 67 70, Guillermo Encina (Chi) 68 69, David Good (Aus) 68 69
138 Seiji Ebihara (Jpn) 71 67, Emilio Rodriguez (Esp) 70 68, Juan Quiros (Esp) 69 69140 Jose Rivero (Esp) 69 71
141 Tony Allen (Eng) 70 71, Gordon J Brand (Eng) 70 71, Denis O’Sullivan (Ire) 69 72, Jerry Bruner (US) 69 72, Angel Fernandez (Chi) 71 70, John Mashego (RSA) 69 72, Costantino Rocca (Ita) 68 73
142 Giuseppe Cali (Ita) 73 69, Bill Longmuir (Sco) 71 71, Bruce Heuchan (Can) 71 71, Carl Mason (Eng) 70 72, Bob Cameron (Eng) 70 72, Terry Dill (US) 72 70143 David Merriman (Aus) 71 72, Luis Carbonetti (Arg) 70 73, Denis Durnian (Eng) 70 73
144 Bob Larratt (Eng) 74 70, Eamonn Darcy (Ire) 77 67, Bob Charles (Nzl) 72 72, Tony Charnley (Eng) 71 73.
145 Glenn Ralph (Eng) 74 71, Tommy Horton (Eng) 74 71, Stewart Ginn (Aus) 73 72, Martin Gray (Sco) 73 72, Jim Lapsley (Nzl) 75 70, Pete Oakley (US) 72 73, Steve Martin (Sco) 72 73, Gery Watine (Fra) 70 75, Jim Rhodes (Eng) 74 71
146 Alan Tapie (US) 75 71, Bobby Lincoln (RSA) 73 73
147 David J Russell (Eng) 73 74, Mike Miller (Sco) 76 71, Ross Drummond (Sco) 72 75, Martin Foster (Eng) 71 76
148 Maurice Bembridge (Eng) 77 71, David Creamer (Eng) 74 74, Simon Owen (Nzl) 74 74, Mike Clayton (Aus) 73 76, Bertus Smit (RSA) 72 76, John Chillas (Sco) 72 76, Tim Rastall (Eng) 71 77
149 Manuel Piñero (Esp) 74 75, John Benda (USA) 73 76, Jimmy Heggarty (NIr) 75 74, Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 72 77
150 Victor Garcia (Esp) 81 69, Philippe Dugeny (Fra) 73 77, Bob Lendzion (USA) 74 76, Gavan Levenson (RSA) 80 70, Ray Carrasco (USA) 74 76, Jean Pierre Sallat (Fra) 72 78
152 Doug Johnson (USA) 76 76
153 Eddie Polland (NIr) 79 74, Neil Coles (Eng) 80 73
154 Martin Poxon (Eng) 73 81, Mike Ferguson (Aus) 73 81
155 Andrew Murray (Eng) 77 78, Antonio Garrido (Esp) 75 80
158 Robert Guignet (Fra) 81 77
159 Gino Prudentino (Fra) 78 81