REPORT BY EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Frenchman François Calmels continued
his domination of the 2013 Challenge de Madrid on Thursday, as a three
under par 69 was enough to claim a two-shot lead over the pack as the
tournament reached its halfway stage at El Encín Golf Hotel.
Calmels, who shot a course record 63
in his first round on Wednesday, did though see his lead cut from three
overnight as Philip Archer’s second consecutive 67 saw the experienced
Englishman capture second place alone with 36 holes to play,
one shot further clear of Sweden’s Jens Dantorp.
After a masterclass of golf that saw
Calmels sink ten birdies in 14 holes during a blistering first round,
the 31 year old Parisian looked like finding more of the same fine form
on Thursday as he sprang out the blocks with a birdie at
the opening par four first in Alcala de Henares.
With more difficult conditions in
Spain during the second round, though, it was to prove more of a steady
if unspectacular day for Calmels, as a further gain at the long fourth
preceded 13 straight pars before he finally found a third birdie
of the day at the closing par five 18th.
“It was more difficult than yesterday
with a strong wind and the pin positions were not easy,” said Calmels.
“Some holes had changed a lot, for example yesterday I played driver and
a wedge on the ninth and today needed driver and a three
wood. My game was very good like yesterday but it was a little bit
tougher today, it was impossible to shoot lower than on Wednesday!
“But my play was very good, I missed a
few shots but managed to save pars. To be perfect I could have made two
or three more birdies and I missed some good chances from around two
meters. But I am happy because it is not easy to play well
after such a good round, it was nice.”
Three-time Challenge Tour winner
Archer, who began the day three off Calmel’s red-hot pace, backed up
some excellent approach work with superb putting on Thursday to storm
into contention at ten under par, two behind Calmels’ lead, and
reflected afterwards that the warm Spanish weather was seeming to have a
positive impact on his golf.
“My game feels very good, it's been a
long break,” said Archer, who made eight birdies and three bogeys during
a rollercoaster second round. “As stupid as it sounds, too much rain
and bad weather left me two months with no golf at all.
I did not touch a club for three weeks and I started hitting balls a
week ago.
“This is my first event of the season
and it is great to play out there short sleeves! My routine and process
around golf course is coming together."
Spaniard Alvaro Velasco showed some of
the talent that saw the home contender crowned Challenge Tour Number
One in 2010, signing for a best-of-the-day 65 on Thursday to move into a
share for fourth place alongside England’s Sam Hutsby at
eight under par.
After starting on the back nine,
Velasco found five birdies in reaching the turn with just 31 blows and
refused to let up there, a monstrous drive and a pin-point wedge setting
up an eagle on the long first before a further gain at the
fourth was tempered by his only bogey of the day at the par four sixth
hole.
“It's been a very solid round from tee
to green, I am feeling very comfortable with my putting,” said Velasco.
“I started off very well and gave myself many birdie chances.
“I am feeling much better than at the
beginning of the week when I wasn't very solid, I was tired but I am
feeling better each day and seeing as my game seems to be coming back
I’m looking forward to the weekend."
Tapio Pulkkanen had perhaps the moment
of the day at El Encín, however, when the Finn made his first
competitive hole in one at the par three third hole with a picture
perfect eight iron from 178 yards, en route to a five under par 67 –
good enough for a share of tenth place heading into the final two
rounds.
Amateur Champion Alan Dunbar was
unable to capitalise on a fine start to his professional career
yesterday, when the Northern Irishman shot an opening 68, struggling to a
six over par 78 to to miss the cut by two shots on 146
SECOND ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
132 F Calmels (Fra) 63 69
134 P Archer (Eng) 67 67
135 J Dantorp (Swe) 66 69
136 S Hutsby (Eng) 66 70, A Velasco (Esp) 71 65
137 C Aguilar (Esp) 67 70, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 69 68
138 T Nørret (Den) 67 71, R Davies (Wal) 66 72
139 E Dubois (Fra) 69 70, C
Brazillier (Fra) 69 70, C Garcia Simarro (Esp) 67 72, J Barnes (Eng) 67
72, T Pulkkanen (Fin) 72 67
140 D Dixon (Eng) 70 70, S Walker (Eng) 71 69, D Im (USA) 68 72, M Zions (Aus) 68 72
141 D Suazo (Esp) 66 75, B An
(Kor) 70 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 69 72, D Frittelli (RSA) 68 73, T
Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 72, B Hebert (Fra) 71 70, R Kakko (Fin) 67 74, S
Thornton (Irl) 67 74, M Brier (Aut) 70 71, R McGowan (Eng) 71 70,
A Bernadet (Fra) 70 71
142 J McLeary (Sco) 71 71, A
Domingo (Esp) 67 75, P Erofejeff (Fin) 69 73, M Rominger (Sui) 68 74, A
Levy (Fra) 69 73, M Lampert (Ger) 70 72, E Johansen (Nor) 69 73
143 F McGuirk (Eng) 74 69, J
Glennemo (Swe) 72 71, P Bech (Esp) 74 69, J Lima (Por) 71 72, M Glauert
(Ger) 69 74, S Little (Eng) 68 75, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 70 73, J Maurer
(Aut) 70 73, C Suneson (Esp) 71 72, M Crespi (Ita) 72 71,
A Perrino (Ita) 70 73
144 P Oriol (Esp) 73 71, T
Sluiter (Ned) 76 68, N Elvira (Esp) 71 73, G Shaw (Nir) 70 74, J
Garcia (Esp) 71 73, S Tiley (Eng) 72 72, K Ferrie (Eng) 71 73, C Lloyd
(Eng) 71 73, J Timmis (Eng) 69 75, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 71 73, W
Besseling (Ned) 70 74, T Hatton (Eng) 71 73, A Pavan (Ita) 72 72
MISSED THE CUT
145 S Benson (Eng) 71 74, N
Quintarelli (Ita) 71 74, F Colombo (Ita) 73 72, V Riu (Fra) 74 71, M
Madsen (Den) 72 73, X Guzman (Esp) 73 72, M Sell (Eng) 72 73, R
McEvoy (Eng) 70 75, C Del Moral (Esp) 71 74
146 J Howarth (Eng) 70 76, B
Etchart (Esp) 74 72, S Luna (Esp) 71 75, J Moul (Eng) 73 73, C
Macaulay (Sco) 75 71, D Griffiths (Eng) 68 78, P Dwyer (Eng) 70 76, S
O'Hara (Sco) 73 73, H Bacher (Aut) 72 74, B Parker (Eng) 69 77,
D Wright (Eng) 71 75, A Dunbar (Nir) 68 78
147 B Dredge (Wal) 76 71, J Garcia
Pinto (Esp) 74 73, L Jensen (Den) 73 74, R Quiros (Esp) 74 73, M
Veijalainen (Fin) 75 72, A Salto (Esp) 71 76, M Jonzon (Swe) 73 74, S
Piaget (Mon) 69 78, B Koepka (USA) 72 75, G Cambis (Fra) 73
74, A McArthur (Sco) 74 73, S Kim (Kor) 76 71, M Nixon (Eng) 75 72, B
Ritthammer (Ger) 72 75
148 G Houston (Wal) 72 76, I Giner
(Esp) 73 75, F Svanberg (Sui) 69 79, F Praegant (Aut) 71 77, J Ruth
(Eng) 72 76, S Arnold (Aus) 74 74, A Marshall (Eng) 72 76, L Claverie
(Esp) 71 77, N Vanhootegem (Bel) 75 73, E Goya (Arg) 76
72, O Bekker (RSA) 74 74, D Ulrich (Sui) 69 79, E Espana (Fra) 76 72, I
Del Castillo (Esp) 75 73
149 J Guerrier (Fra) 73 76, A
Otaegui (Esp) 73 76, J San Felix (Esp) 71 78, P Fendt (Aut) 74 75, D
Kemmer (USA) 73 76, D Law (Sco) 75 74, D Gaunt (Aus) 75 74, J
Ballesteros (am) (Esp) 74 75
150 J Mommo (Fin) 73 77, O Floren (Swe) 71 79, T Murray (Eng) 76 74, G Stal (Fra) 72 78, D Brooks (Eng) 75 75
151 J Senior (Eng) 72 79, R
Russell (Sco) 76 75, A Gee (Eng) 78 73, J Bragulat (Esp) 77 74, J
Huldahl (Den) 73 78, A Hortal (Esp) 78 73, T Haylock (Eng) 77 74, L
Goddard (Eng) 76 75
152 C Ford (Eng) 74 78, J Elson
(Eng) 74 78, I Pyman (Eng) 74 78, L Saltman (Sco) 74 78, P Maddy (Eng)
73 79, J Legarrea (Esp) 76 76, A Forsyth (Sco) 74 78
153 J Camargo (Esp) 73 80, G Murray (Sco) 77 76, D Geminiani (Ita) 75 78, O Whiteley (Eng) 75 78
154 N Ravano (Ita) 76 78, V Blazquez (Esp) 73 81, G Seegmuller (Bel) 76 78, X Puig (Esp) 73 81, P Edberg (Swe) 76 78
155 P Relecom (Bel) 74 81, Å Nilsson (Swe) 77 78, M Prihoda (Cze) 76 79, O Wilson (Eng) 78 77, J Gallegos (am) (Esp) 75 80,
157 K Borsheim (Nor) 75 82
160 S Gonzalez Garcia (Esp) 79 81, F De Vries (Ned) 73 87
** G Piris Mateu (Esp) 78 WD, D Vancsik (Arg) 80 RT,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONSLabels: CHALLENGE TOUR