EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL

Van Vuuren ahead at halfway point


By STEVE TODD
European Senior Tour Press Officer
South African Steve Van Vuuren has a one stroke lead at the halfway point of the European Senior Tour Qualifying School after a second consecutive three under par 68 in Portugal.
The 51 year old strengthened his bid to win a full card for the Senior Tour for the first time with a solid display around Pestana Golf Resort’s Vale da Pinta Course.

Van Vuuren birdied the first hole then picked up further shots on the eighth and tenth holes before his only bogey of the day on the 11th, when he overclubbed and sent the ball 15 yards beyond the green.
A further birdie on the 17th hole regained that shot and moved him to six under par, one stroke clear of Australian Graham Banister with 36 holes remaining at Senior Tour Qualifying School.
“It was a solid round just like yesterday although I missed three greens today compared to only the one yesterday,” said Van Vuuren. “Maybe I need to putt a little better than I have been but I’m happy with the round and I’d take four rounds of 68. Leading after two rounds is a nice position to be.”
Van Vuuren played six times on the Senior Tour in 2010, bookending his season with top 20 finishes in Mauritius and Sicily to finish 77th on the Order of Merit.
He is trying to secure a full card for 2011 after his exemption expired for the Sunshine Tour, on which he has won eight times.
“I guess I’m looking for a home,” he said. “I finished 39th here last year but had a triple bogey one day on the 14th and the played the wrong ball on the second hole so I’m hoping my luck here changes!”
Keeping up the pressure on Van Vuuren is Banister, who carded a rather eventful 69 to move to five under par.
The 54 year old recovered after starting with consecutive bogeys on the second and third holes to reach the turn level par for the day, with birdies on the eighth and ninth. However, further drama was to follow when he double bogeyed the par five tenth hole, dredging up memories of similar incident 12 months ago.
“I’d messed up two wedge shots on the second and third then decided to lay-up on ten and probably had 50 yards to the pin,” he said. “The ball landed about a foot from the flag but then spinned back 15 yards into the bunker. “I’d said to my caddie before taking the shot that had happened last year and the identical thing happened again. I then took three shots to get out because the ball kept running back into my foot print but holed a 25ft putt to make a ‘great’ 7.
“I was in a bit of a daze after that but it was a great recovery to birdie the 11th and 12th holes and then knock it stiff for birdies on the last two holes.
“It was just one of those days that could only happen at Qualifying School! To have just 220 yards to go from the middle of the fairway on both par fives and then take six and seven is disappointing. You expect to birdie at least one of those so I’ve lost four shots effectively. Given those circumstances, 69 was a great score.”
American Tim Thelen, who had a share of the overnight lead with Scot Gordon Manson and Sweden's Peter Dahlberg, also endured a disastrous hole, double bogeying the 16th to card a level par 71 and lie two strokes off the pace.
Dahlberg and St Andrews-born Manson are a further shot back after rounds of 72, while there are five players tied for sixth place on two under par -Scottish pair Terry Burgoyne and Peter Smith, Irish amateur Pat Errity, Spaniard Manuel Moreno and American Mitch Thomas.

COLIN FARQUHARSON'S SCOTSWATCH
Gordon Manson leads the Tartan Army but a one-over-par 72 (35-37) cost the Fifer his share of the overnight pole position. Manson, Austrian national coach for many years, birdied the short third but bogeyed the fourth and fifth in turning in one-over 35. He birdied the long 12th but dropped a shot at the short 16th.
Aberdeenshire-born Peter Smith remained in joint sixth position - which he needs to maintain through another two rounds to gain full playing rights on next year's over-50s' tour - with a par 72 (32-39). For the second day in a row, the former Northern Open champion from Udny turned in two under-par 32 after birdies at the sixth and eighth but he gave the shots back early on the inward journey with bogeys at the long 10th and 11th.
A 2 at the short 13th got one of them back but he bogeyed the 18th for two-over 39 home.
Terry Burgoyne is on the same mark as Smith after a 70 (32-38). Terry birdied the fourth and short fifth in reaching the turn in two-under-par but he dropped shots at the long 10th and long 12th before birdieing the 18th.
Ian Dougan improved his hopes by moving up to joint 11th place with a 68 (33-35) for 141. Dougan birdied the long second and the seventh but dropped a shot at the ninth. He birdied the long 10th, dropped a shot at the 11th but finished on a high by covering the last seven holes in two-under-par with birdies at the long 12tn and 17th.
Carnoustie-born Fraser Mann, who came through the Q School process last year and is entered again to try to improve his Category of membership which would gain him entry to more events than he has enjoyed in 2010, is back in a share of 21st place after rounds of 72 and 71 (34-37).
Albert Mackenzie plummeted to joint 21st position by following up a 69 with a 74 for 143.
Former Scotland amateur cap Mike Miller is sharing 48th place on 146 with a pair of 73s.
Alan Hemsley is tied for 64th spot on 151 (76-75).

ALL THE SECOND-ROUND SCORES
Par 142 (2x71)
136 S Van Vuuren (RSA) 68 68,
137 G Banister (Aus) 68 69,
138 T Thelen (USA) 67 71,
139 P Dahlberg (Swe) 67 72, G Manson (Aut) 67 72,
140 M Thomas (USA) 70 70, T Burgoyne (Sco) 70 70, P Smith (Sco) 69 71, M Moreno (Esp) 70 70, P Errity (am) (Irl) 69 71,
141 I Dougan (Sco) 73 68, M Briggs (Eng) 69 72, H Francis (Eng) 70 71, T Planchin (Fra) 72 69, J Stansberry (USA) 72 69, J Stuart (USA) 71 70, D Gavrilovic (Eng) 71 70, F Illouz (am) (Fra) 71 70,
142 A Barrera (Arg) 71 71, A Johnsson (Swe) 71 71,
143 A Fernandez (Chi) 71 72, S Cipa (Eng) 72 71, F Mann (Sco) 72 71, G Krause (Eng) 75 68, S Shields (Eng) 70 73, J Sallat (Fra) 72 71, M Gallagher (Eng) 70 73, A Mackenzie (Sco) 69 74, J Davila (Esp) 75 68, B Evans (Eng) 73 70,
144 N Mitchell (Eng) 74 70, M Deboub (Eng) 73 71, F Regard (Fra) 72 72, J Heggarty (Nir) 72 72, K Tarling (Can) 73 71, P Allan (Eng) 75 69, J Carson (USA) 75 69, J Empey (USA) 71 73, J Hoskison (Eng) 74 70,
145 R Masters (Eng) 73 72, M Lord (Eng) 72 73, D Talbot (Can) 73 72, M Kierstenson (Eng) 71 74, E Rodriguez (Esp) 70 75, P Dugeny (Fra) 72 73, D Narveson (USA) 73 72, S East (am) (Eng) 74 71,
146 D Blakeman (Eng) 71 75, M Miller (Sco) 73 73,
147 V Garcia (Esp) 70 77, M Guzman (Arg) 73 74, T Feminis (USA) 74 73,
148 N Clarke (RSA) 71 77, C Acutis (Ita) 75 73, A Macdonald (Eng) 75 73,
149 E Costa (Por) 78 71, S Bennett (Eng) 74 75, P Oakley (USA) 74 75, J Murphy (am) (Eng) 74 75,
150 T Giedeon (Ger) 77 73, R Hunter (Eng) 75 75, P Puisset (Fra) 78 72, A Westwell (am) (Eng) 78 72,
151 M Howell (Eng) 76 75, A Hemsley (Sco) 76 75, A Romanoff (USA) 72 79, R Williams (Wal) 76 75,
152 M Aparicio (Esp) 75 77,
154 L Soto (Ven) 78 76, D Stirling (Eng) 74 80, J Buendia (Esp) 79 75,
155 J Naya Palleiro (Esp) 74 81, H Larsen (Den) 73 82,
159 G Bothwell (Eng) 81 78,
** E Feely (Irl) 76 DQ, S Ball (Eng) DQ 0,

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