HULDAHL HANGS ON TO LEAD IN CATALUNYA CHALLENGE

Jeppe Huldahl held on to his lead after the second round of the Challenge de Catalunya but only just, as the Dane recovered from a double-bogey to card two birdies on the way to a two under par round of 70.

That left Huldahl one shot clear of a chasing pack which included four-time European Challenge Tour winner and one-time winner this year, Alessandro Tadini, former Walker Cup player Luke Goddard, American Brooks Koepka and Germany’s Nicolas Meitinger.

In much tougher conditions at Golf La Graiera in Calafell, Northern Spain, Huldahl started the day steadily with five pars, having entered the second round with a two shot lead.

The former European Tour winner birdied the sixth hole to reach the turn in one under par before another gained shot at the 10^th moved him to two under par, seemingly headed towards an extended outright lead going into the weekend.

He suffered a big blip in his round with a double bogey six at the par four 11^th, but back to back birdies at the 15^th and 16^th saw him home in two under par to move to ten under for the tournament.

"It was a bit trickier out there today,” said Huldahl, winner of the 2010 Wales Open. “The wind came and we had three or four holes of heavy rain. It was also raining when I was playing the 11^th and that is the toughest hole on the course so I double-bogeyed there.

“I played all right though, I hit some good shots and I was pretty much cruising there for a while. There is still a long way to go but I am happy. I am in a good position for the weekend and I hope I can continue this way.”

Tadini might well have joined Huldahl at the top only for a bogey at the ninth, his final hole, but the Italian remains on course for a return to The European Tour next year.

The 38 year old is currently in eighth place in the Challenge Tour Rankings and a good finish this week would nigh on secure a top ten finish.

Having teed off at the tenth, Tadini reached the turn in three under par thanks to four birdies and another birdie at the second moved him to ten under par and in line for the tied overnight lead.

A bogey at the par five seventh was followed by a birdie at the par three eighth but a bogey at the ninth saw him home in three under par for the day and nine under for the tournament.

"I am very upset,” said Tadini, winner of this year’s ECCO Tour Championship hosted by Mercedes Benz and Thomas Björn. “I played just great on the front nine but I finished missing an easy putt for birdie and then a three putt - that made me really upset.”

Sam Hutsby, meanwhile, carded an albatross two at the par five 16^th but it was not enough for the Englishman to make the two under par cut.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

Par 144 (2x72)

134 J Huldahl (Den) 64 70

135 B Koepka  (USA) 68 67, L Goddard  (Eng) 66 69, N Meitinger  (Ger) 69 66, A Tadini (Ita) 66 69

136 E Kofstad (Nor) 66 70, A Perrino  (Ita) 71 65, P Edberg (Swe) 67 69, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 68 68

137 J Abbott (Eng) 69 68, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 66 71, A Hansen  (Den) 68 69, C Gane (Eng) 67 70

138 G Lockerbie  (Eng) 70 68, J Dantorp (Swe) 69 69, S Davis (Eng) 66 72

139 A Domingo (Esp) 70 69, C Lloyd (Eng) 68 71, D Gaunt (Aus) 73 66, J Parry (Eng) 69 70, B An (Kor) 69 70, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 69 70, A McArthur  (Sco) 68 71, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 69 70, R Karlberg  (Swe) 69 70, S Buhl (Ger) 67 72, J Doherty  (Sco) 71 68, C Doak (Sco) 65 74, P Bech (Esp) 67 72, R Kakko  (Fin) 68 71

140 J Russell (USA) 73 67, M Korhonen (Fin) 69 71, C Aguilar  (Esp) 74 66, S Tiley (Eng) 70 70, M Nixon (Eng) 68 72, T Feyrsinger  (Aut) 67 73, R Quiros  (Esp) 71 69, L Claverie (Esp) 70 70

141 M Carlsson  (Swe) 68 73, M Crespi  (Ita) 71 70, E De La Riva  (Esp) 71 70, A Kaleka  (Fra) 71 70, R Russell (Sco) 68 73, A Levy (Fra) 71 70, W Besseling  (Ned) 71 70, G Stal  (Fra) 72 69, V Riu  (Fra) 76 65, A Tampion  (Aus) 73 68, M Lundberg (Swe) 71 70, K Eriksson (Swe) 74 67, G Houston (Wal) 73 68, H Bacher (Aut) 69 72, J Gibb (Eng) 68 73

142 X Guzman (Esp) 73 69, R Echenique (Arg) 72 70, S O'Hara  (Sco) 72 70, P Oriol (Esp) 72 70, J Mommo  (Fin) 71 71, P Dwyer (Eng) 71 71, K Borsheim  (Nor) 74 68, E Dubois (Fra) 68 74, J Busby (Eng) 68 74, B Åkesson (Swe) 73 69, S Kim (Kor) 73 69, R De Sousa (Sui) 70 72, C Garcia Simarro (Esp) 68 74, S Grant  (Irl) 70 72

MISSED THE CUT

143 A Parr (Can) 68 75, C Macaulay  (Sco) 70 73, C Brazillier  (Fra) 72 71, P Gustafsson (Swe) 70 73, A Hartø  (Den) 69 74, S Luna (Esp) 71 72, L Saltman (Sco) 72 71, C Suneson (Esp) 73 70, C Paisley  (Eng) 71 72

144 D Brooks (Eng) 69 75, R Hjelm (Den) 74 70, P Archer (Eng) 73 71, D Vancsik (Arg) 71 73, A Otaegui  (Esp) 73 71, A Bernadet  (Fra) 74 70, S Hutsby  (Eng) 74 70

145 C Aronsen  (Nor) 74 71, J Heath  (Eng) 73 72, M Tullo (Chi) 74 71, J McLeary  (Sco) 70 75, A Salto (Esp) 72 73, J Walters (RSA) 71 74, I Elvira  (Esp) 70 75, U Weinhandl (Aut) 73 72, F McGuirk  (Eng) 77 68

146 C Hanson (Eng) 74 72, T Sluiter  (Ned) 70 76, B Barham (Eng) 71 75, A Bossert (Sui) 75 71, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 75 71, B Ritthammer (Ger) 74 72, S Benson (Eng) 74 72, M Ford (Eng) 73 73, N Dougherty (Eng) 75 71

147 R Gallardo (Esp) 77 70, M Delpodio  (Ita) 74 73, S Pinckney (USA) 77 70, S Jeppesen  (Swe) 74 73, J San Felix (Esp) 73 74

148 Å Nilsson (Swe) 74 74, C Russo (Fra) 76 72, J Guerrier  (Fra) 74 74, S Garcia (Esp) 79 69,

149 A Hortal  (Esp) 76 73, S Gonzalez Garcia  (Esp) 73 76

150 M Kieffer (Ger) 75 75, I Giner (Esp) 77 73, D Lokke (Den) 81 69

151 N Dahlgren (Fin) 72 79, J Bragulat  (Esp) 73 78, J Wahlqvist (Swe) 79 72, E Bertheussen (Nor) 77 74,

152 J Mancebo (Esp) 75 77, M Haastrup  (Den) 79 73

153 A Velasco (Esp) 73 80, A Ahokas (Fin) 77 76, F Delamontagne  (Fra) 74 79

154 A Gee  (Eng) 76 78, A Snobeck  (Fra) 76 78, B Etchart  (Esp) 74 80

156 P Herreria (Esp) 80 76

157 J Gallardo (Esp) 81 76

166 C Gonzalez Lopez (Esp) 84 82

Withdrew: M Southgate  (Eng) 76 RT, S Walker (Eng) WD  0,

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