2010 BRITISH BOYS' CHAMPION AT 

BARASSIE LEADS TSHWANE OPEN
 
FROM EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

Adrian Otaegui reaped the rewards of his mentoring from fellow Spaniard José María Olazábal by seizing the lead at the Tshwane Open and coming close to firing the European Tour's first round of 59.
Winner of the British boys' title at Kilmarnock Barassie in 2010, Otaegui, now 22, who played most of his junior golf at his local club in the northern Spain seaside resort of Fuenterrabia, where 2012 Ryder Cup Captain Olazábal was born and raised, went round in eight-under 62 today at Pretoria Country Club to sit pretty on 11 under par 129.

The youngster made his ninth birdie with an excellent putt at the 16th, meaning he needed to pick up two shots over the last two holes, both par fours, to create history on a sunny morning.
Otaegui came agonisingly close to a birdie at the 17th, chipping just to the right of the hole from the edge of the green, but could not manage the eagle he then required at the 514 yard last.

Indeed, he finished with a bogey, a sole blemish of his round, like on Thursday.
“It’s a tough par four and it's normally a par five,” he reflected.
Five of Otaegui's gains came consecutively from the eighth hole, a sequence he admitted being oblivious to.
“I was focused and didn’t know that I had made five birdies in a row,” he said.
“I was playing well and made a few putts, that’s all I was thinking about. The best golf is when you think as little as possible, and this was one of those days.”

Otaegui, who has moved to Biarritz but stays in touch with Olazábal, leads by two shots from South Africa's Merrick Bremner, who went round in four under 66, thanks to seven birdies.
Joint overnight leader David Horsey of England is one shot further back, after a mixed round of one under, alongside Italy's Edoardo Molinari plus South Africans Keith Horne and Trevor Fisher Jnr.
Thursday's other front runner Morten Ørum Madsen, who hit a hole-in-one at the eighth in his first round, recovered somewhat from two double bogeys in his opening four holes to finish on five under overall

Only two of the five Scots in the starting field made the cut at 140 and better. Craig Lee is T13 on 135 (67-68) and Scott Jamieson T47 on 139 (70-69)

Chris Doak (70-142), Richie Ramsay (72-144) and David Drysdale (76-149) are now on the sidelines

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 140 (2x70)
129 Adrian Otaegui (Spain) 67 62
131 Merrick Bremner (S Africa) 65 66
132 David Horsey (England) 63 69, Keith Horne (S Africa) 65 67, Edoardo Mlinari (Italy) 60 66, Trevor Fisher jun (S Africa) 66 66 

SCOTS' SCORES
135 Craig Lee 67 68 (T13)
139 Scott Jamieson 70 69 (T47)
MISSED THE CUT (140 and better qualified)
142 Chris Doak 72 70
144 Richie Ramsay 72 72
149 David Drysdale 73 76

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES

CLICK HERE