LLOYD SALTMAN LOSES LEAD TO FRITTELLI

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

A superb birdie-eagle finish helped South African Dylan Frittelli assume the halfway lead at the European Challenge Tour's Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda.

The 23 year old from Johannesburg enjoyed a glittering college career in the USA, culminating in him holing the winning putt at the NCAA Championship finals last year to guarantee his ‘Texas Longhorns’ Team from Texas University the most prestigious college title in America.

Now making his way as a professional on the Challenge Tour, Frittelli finds himself leading the Lothians' Lloyd Saltman by a single stroke at the Jacques Lemans Golf Club, with Frenchman Edouard Dubois, England’s Billy Hemstock and Ireland’s Peter O’Keefe a further stroke back on nine under.

Roland Steiner leads the home challenge on eight under par after the Austrian added a three under 68 to his opening 66, but it was Frittelli’s grandstand finish that grabbed the headlines as he birdied his 17^th hole before smashing a driver and a four iron to 15 feet before rolling home his eagle putt. 

“Home in 31 was pretty good considering I bogeyed the easiest hole on the course on the front nine,” said Frittelli.

“It doesn’t help when you go for the superhero play with a hybrid from a severely sloping lie, but that’s what I did on four and I got my punishment with the bogey.

“But apart from that there was a lot of good stuff out there today and it is always a very satisfying way to end a good round with a birdie-eagle finish. That will always turn a decent round into a very good one and that’s how it turned out for me today. 

“I am really looking forward to the weekend and getting out there and trying to get over the line. I have been playing nicely recently and have been putting myself into decent positions but I seem to be almost putting a little bit too much pressure on myself.

“There have been a few occasions where I have been three or four off the lead going into the weekend and have probably pushed too hard to try and close the leaders down, but obviously it will different for me tomorrow being the leader and I feel comfortable in that position. Hopefully I can just focus on my game and stick to my game plan because it feels good at the moment.”

HALFWAY SCOREBOARD

Par 142 (2x71)

131 D Frittelli (RSA) 67 64

132 L Saltman (Sco) 63 69

133 E Dubois (Fra) 66 67; P O'Keeffe  (Irl) 66 67; B Hemstock (Eng) 66 67

134 L Kennedy  (Eng) 68 66; N Kearney (Irl) 69 65; F Bergamaschi (Ita) 69 65; A Pavan (Ita) 69 65; M Haastrup  (Den) 65 69; R Steiner (Aut) 66 68; D Kemmer (USA) 65 69

135 S Walker (Eng) 68 67; J Frazer (Wal) 70 65

136 Z Scotland  (Eng) 67 69; L Nemecz (Aut) 67 69; A Rota (Ita) 69 67; M Kramer  (Ger) 69 67; S Kim (Kor) 67 69; N Lemke (Swe) 68 68

137 A Engell  (Nor) 67 70; P Relecom  (Bel) 67 70; M Salminen (Fin) 70 67; L Claverie (Esp) 70 67; D Palm (Swe) 69 68; F Calmels  (Fra) 68 69; R Wingardh (Swe) 70 67; J Fahrbring (Swe) 69 68; D Huizing (Ned) 68 69

138 J Maurer  (Aut) 69 69; N Quintarelli (Ita) 69 69; O Farr (Wal) 70 68; M Ford (Eng) 70 68; J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 71 67; J Carlsson (Swe) 70 68; A Domingo (Esp) 70 68; J Grillon  (Fra) 72 66; C Suneson (Esp) 70 68; A Gee  (Eng) 68 70

139 T Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 70; D Geminiani (Ita) 70 69; J Heath  (Eng) 70 69; M Haines  (Eng) 74 65; G Murray  (Sco) 70 69; J Gibb (Eng) 70 69; M Trappel  (Aut) 66 73; M Novy  (Cze) 71 68; H Bacher (Aut) 71 68; P Martin Benavides (Esp) 68 71; A Forsyth (Sco) 69 70;

140 N Floren (Swe) 68 72; J Barnes (Eng) 69 71; M Quiros (Esp) 70 70; V Riu  (Fra) 68 72; J Legarrea (Esp) 69 71; M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 70 70; A McArthur  (Sco) 70 70; T Pieters  (Bel) 72 68; F Delamontagne  (Fra) 71 69; R Enoch  (Wal) 70 70; P Dwyer (Eng) 72 68; L Astl (Aut) 69 71; B Parker  (Eng) 72 68; D Ulrich (Sui) 68 72

MISSED THE CUT

141 P Gal  (Cze) 72 69; D Wuensche  (Ger) 69 72; S Davis (Eng) 69 72; A Maestroni  (Ita) 72 69; X Ruiz Fonhof  (Ned) 71 70; B Hebert  (Fra) 73 68; M Zions (Aus) 71 70; M Crespi  (Ita) 72 69; W Booth  (Sco) 71 70; M Brier (Aut) 72 69; D Salisbury (Eng) 71 70; S Hutsby  (Eng) 69 72

142 A Johnston (Eng) 73 69; B An (Kor) 75 67; T Sluiter  (Ned) 73 69; G Molteni (Ita) 69 73; W Besseling  (Ned) 73 69; F Praegant (Aut) 64 78; A Hortal  (Esp) 73 69; C Russo (Fra) 70 72; N Meitinger  (Ger) 75 67

143 C Hanson (Eng) 71 72; T Pedersen (Nor) 70 73; G Watremez (Bel) 74 69; M Rominger  (Sui) 70 73; J Doherty  (Sco) 73 70; U Weinhandl (Aut) 72 71; R Hjelm (Den) 71 72; D Perrier (Fra) 71 72

144 N Dougherty  (Eng) 72 72; T Feyrsinger  (Aut) 71 73; J Watts (Eng) 71 73; J Lerchedahl (Den) 71 73; J Mommo  (Fin) 71 73; J McLeary  (Sco) 74 70; K Cobb (USA) 72 72; K Ferrie (Eng) 72 72; C Dammert (am) (Ger) 72 72

145 F Laporta (Ita) 70 75; D Lloyd (RSA) 74 71; F Colombo (Ita) 74 71; P Widegren  (Swe) 74 71; C Brazillier  (Fra) 71 74; O Rozner  (Fra) 77 68; A Bossert (Sui) 73 72; A Perrino  (Ita) 74 71; T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 75 70; T Rice  (Irl) 71 74; D Stewart (Sco) 74 71; S Garcia (Esp) 73 72; S Piaget  (Mon) 68 77

146 F Svanberg  (Sui) 73 73; F De Vries  (Ned) 76 70; W Rieder  (Aut) 75 71; B Neumayer (Aut) 74 72; L Goddard  (Eng) 75 71; M Glauert (Ger) 74 72; O Wilson (Eng) 73 73; L Motta (Ita) 73 73

147 M Haremza (Ger) 76 71; X Puig (Esp) 75 72; J Bragulat  (Esp) 72 75; J Camargo (Esp) 74 73; R Gruber (Aut) 78 69; B Chapellan (Fra) 76 71; B Ritthammer (Ger) 69 78; N Ravano (Ita) 76 71; J Pastor Lopez (Esp) 70 77; C Günther (Ger) 74 73; D Moretti (am) (Aut) 76 71; T Nemecz (am) (Aut) 73 74

148 I Pyman (Eng) 75 73; C Schwierz  (Ger) 76 72; R Kellett (Sco) 75 73; N Dahlgren (Fin) 80 68; C Dvorak (Aut) 78 70; P Maddy (Eng) 74 74; J Lima  (Por) 77 71; N Elvira  (Esp) 75 73;

149 S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 76 73; R Saxton (Ned) 76 73; M Schneider (Ger) 81 68; R Goger (am) (Aut) 74 75

150 D Wright (Eng) 81 69; J Abbott (Eng) 77 73

151 D Osorio (Esp) 76 75; J Webber (Eng) 74 77; B Mannix (Eng) 74 77

157 M Ludwig (am) (Aut) 82 75; T Baltl (am) (Aut) 80 77;

** S Whiffin (Eng) 81 WD; S Matus  (Cze) DQ  

 

 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _