EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR

McArthur lying joint third in Italy Grand Final

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
Andrew Tampion’s improbable search for a European Tour card took flight with a round of 66 today which saw him establish a three-shot lead at the midway stage of the European Challenge Tour's Apulia San Domenico Grand Final.
The Australian, currently 39th in the Rankings and without a top 10 finish for four months, sits on six under par, three shots clear of Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka, who, like his playing partner, closed with a birdie in his round of 69.
Welshman Rhys Davies and Swede Peter Gustafsson also signed for rounds of 69 to take a share of third place on two under par alongside Scotland’s Andrew McArthur, who is hoping to climb one place into the top 20 of the Rankings after a series of agonising near-misses in recent seasons.
Needing at least a top three finish this week to stand any chance of securing a return to The European Tour, which he last graced in 2007, Tampion set about his task with relish by collecting birdies at the second, third and fifth holes.
The man from Melbourne shrugged off the disappointment of his only bogey of the day at the sixth hole at San Domenico Golf in Puglia, Italy, to collect a further three birdies after the turn and sign for the joint lowest round of the day.
Tampion said: “I didn’t do anything wrong and managed to hole some putts for a change. I’ve been playing pretty well for the past month or so but haven’t been getting my rewards, so I feel like I’m due. I’ve been hitting 15 or 16 greens most weeks, but only shooting level par or one under. So it was nice to see a few putts drop today, and it’s also just nice to see someone other than Edoardo [Molinari] at the top of the leaderboard – he’s giving us all a chance this week!”
In contrast to Tampion, Davies has enjoyed a hugely impressive campaign, and with his confidence sky high after finishing third at last week’s Italian Federation Cup, he will now seek to round off his first full Challenge Tour season in some style with a third title.
The Bridgend boy opted to spurn the chance of playing at the Barclays Singapore Open on The European Tour in favour of improving his final position in the Challenge Tour Rankings, and the decision looks to have been a wise one.
He said: “It was definitely a bit easier today with less wind, but it’s still a tricky course. You won’t get a much tougher opening hole – I flushed my three wood off the fairway and only just reached the green, so a par there felt like a birdie. After that I just played very solid golf, so hopefully I can keep it going for another two days and round off the season with another win.
“Once I made the decision to come here I didn’t have second thoughts, so I’m fully committed to playing well. It was obviously tempting to play in Singapore instead because of the money on offer, but that can wait for another day. Hopefully there will be plenty of chances to play in big tournaments next season.”
Gustafsson and McArthur, respectively 20th and 21st in the Rankings, will both be hoping to join Davies in The 2010 Race to Dubai, and the duo seem set to carry their private battle into the final two rounds of the season. Just €155 separate the pair in the Rankings, though neither man is tying himself in knots trying to work out the various permutations.
McArthur said: “It was much the same as yesterday – I just tried to give myself as many chances as possible, although I didn’t putt as well. Unfortunately I got off to a slow start again – I only seem to get going once I’m two over! For both of my bogeys I only had a wedge in my hand, which was pretty unforgivable because I should’ve been looking at making birdies, not dropping shots.
“But other than that I played pretty well and drove the ball particularly well, which you have to round here. So that gives me confidence for the final two days. I haven’t given much thought to what might or might not be good enough, because I’ll just end up with a headache.”
Perhaps the most significant move of the day came from Germany’s Christian Günther, who had looked in danger of relinquishing his place in the top 20 after opening with a round of 77. But a round of 66 pulled him right back into contention, as he climbed 31 places into a tie for eighth.
SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD
136 A Tampion (Aus) 70 66,
139 A Kaleka (Fra) 70 69,
140 P Gustafsson (Swe) 71 69, A McArthur (Sco) 70 70, R Davies (Wal) 71 69,
141 S Bebb (Wal) 68 73,
142 M Wiegele (Aut) 72 70,
143 C Günther (Ger) 77 66, O Floren (Swe) 72 71, P Whiteford (Sco) 70 73, S Jeppesen (Swe) 72 71, R Coles (Eng) 76 67,
144 A Butterfield (Eng) 70 74, A Hansen (Den) 72 72,
145 C Gane (Eng) 70 75, E Molinari (Ita) 74 71, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 72 73, F Calmels (Fra) 71 74, J Guerrier (Fra) 70 75, G Boyd (Eng) 72 73, J Colomo (Esp) 74 71,
146 J Morrison (Eng) 76 70, A Wagner (Arg) 74 72, Å Nilsson (Swe) 75 71,
147 S Walker (Eng) 76 71, R Steiner (Aut) 75 72, M Zions (Aus) 75 72,
148 C Rodiles (Esp) 76 72, N Colsaerts (Bel) 76 72,
149 J Quesne (Fra) 73 76, A Marshall (Eng) 71 78, J Parry (Eng) 76 73, L James (Eng) 73 76,
150 E Ramsay (Sco) 77 73, R McEvoy (Eng) 78 72, L Gagli (Ita) 76 74,
151 F Praegant (Aut) 77 74, S Manley (Wal) 71 80,
152 G Paddison (Nzl) 80 72, J Lima (Por) 72 80, P Baker (Eng) 76 76,
153 J McLeary (Sco) 75 78,
154 M Tullo (Chi) 73 81,
155 A Gee (Eng) 77 78,
156 F Fritsch (Ger) 77 79,