Olesen continues to shine on return
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Thorbjørn Olesen continued to shine on his return from injury as he opened up a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, on a day when Javier Colomo sealed his place in European Tour history.
Dane Olesen, playing in his first tournament back after three months out following corrective surgery to tendons in his left hand, followed an opening round of 65 with a second round of 68 to move to nine under par at the Heritage Golf Club, with Sweden’s Pelle Edberg his closest rival on eight under par following a round of 66.
Joint overnight leader Olesen recovered well from a difficult start to his round, posting five birdies in six holes before the turn, after opening with bogeys on the first and third holes.
He dropped another shot on the 13th hole but picked up his sixth birdie of the day on the 16th to edge clear of Edberg at the top of the leaderboard.
South African pair Thomas Aiken and Dean Burmester are a further shot back on seven under par, after rounds of 66 and 68 respectively, sharing third place with Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick, who battled back from a double bogey on his eighth hole to sign for a round of 67.
Meanwhile, the first tri-sanctioned event between the European, Asian and Sunshine Tours will go down in the record books for another reason after Spaniard Colomo became the first player in the history of The European Tour to record a hole in one on a par four, courtesy of a dramatic albatross on his closing hole, the 322 yard ninth.
Remarkably, after dropping a shot on the previous hole, Colomo had needed a birdie to make the weekend, and his boldness with the driver off the tee paid off in the most spectacular way, as he finished two shots inside the cut after signing for a round of 69 and a one under par total.
Key player quotes
Thorbjørn Olesen – 68 (-9 total)
“I have read the greens very nicely this week, today and yesterday. I missed a couple of putts in the beginning today but then I holed some really nice putts and I feel like I have the pace of the greens.
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend. It’s been a long break and then all of a sudden I’m up there in the lead, so it will be a lot of fun. Mauritius is a beautiful country, so no matter what happens, I will still like it.
“I didn’t have the biggest expectations this week but I knew I was swinging the club well and I’ve been practising hard the last couple of weeks. I was obviously hoping for something good, but I’ve been surprised at home good my short game has been this week. I thought it would be the part that would be rusty, but it has actually been really good. I’m pleased at that and it’s brilliant to be leading. It’s fun to be out there and be at the front again.”
Pelle Edberg – 66 (-8 total)
“I’ve taken advantage of the par fives and the driveable par fours. I’ve been up there on pretty much every hole, putting for eagle, and those holes are the key this week.
“I’ve been hitting driver on every hole because I’ve been hitting it so good. Maybe I should take three wood on some holes, but not this week because I’m going for it.
We have a re-rank coming up in a month or so, so a few more Euros would be good. It’s a good start towards that.”
Thomas Aiken – 66 (-7 total)
“It was a grind out there yesterday and I did pretty well like that for two-under-par. That was a good score, and then I came out today with very few expectations. I just tried to keep the ball in play and play the golf course. I played better on my first nine and scored worse than I did on the back. That’s golf.”
Matthew Fitzpatrick – 67 (-7 total)
“To fight back after the double bogey and still finish four under is very pleasing. It was steady and solid after that. I’m not too far off the lead. A two-shot swing can happen in a round or even on a hole here. We’ve only played two rounds and anything can happen. It’s great being in Mauritius. I came here at the end of last year and it is great place. It’s been a great week so far, not only because I’m playing nicely, but we are looked after so well.
Javier Colomo – on his hole in one albatross on par four ninth hole
“For the first time in my life I hit an unbelievable driver, very high with a little cut. I tried to stop the ball on the green and the ball found the hole. I needed a birdie to make the cut, so a double eagle is just fantastic. (Note: Pin was 329 yards from the tee). I made three putt bogey on eight and I was two over and I needed birdie to make the cut. That’s why I hit driver as I needed a birdie.
“We couldn’t see (it go in). We heard some guys shouting but we couldn’t believe that. We thought the ball was very close but when we were on the fairway, we couldn’t see the ball on the green. And then one guy told me that the ball was in the hole. It was a perfect shot.”
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
133 T Olesen (Den) 65 68,
134 P Edberg (Swe) 68 66,
135 T Aiken (RSA) 69 66, D Burmester (RSA) 67 68, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 68 67
137 J Parry (Eng) 67 70, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 66 71, O Bekker (RSA) 66 71, R Gangjee (Ind) 67 70, J Wang (Kor) 65 72, G Coetzee (RSA) 70 67, C Pigem (Esp) 65 72, M Kawamura (Jpn) 68 69
138 M Mamat (Sin) 69 69, P Martin Benavides (Esp) 72 66, S Hend (Aus) 72 66, C Nel (RSA) 69 69, D Chopra (Swe) 70 68, A McArthur (Sco) 68 70
139 K Richardson (Aus) 73 66, M Lundberg (Swe) 68 71, J Janewattananond (Tha) 69 70, S Brazel (Aus) 69 70, P Peterson (USA) 69 70, K Horne (RSA) 70 69, S Lewton (Eng) 70 69, T Van Der Walt (RSA) 73 66
140 R Lee (Can) 72 68, N Holman (Aus) 67 73, B Evans (Eng) 70 70, J Palmer (Eng) 71 69, A Tadini (Ita) 71 69, J Walters (RSA) 67 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 71 69, B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 68 72
141 B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 70, M Muthiya (Zam) 67 74, J Roos (RSA) 70 71, E Goya (Arg) 70 71, A Dodt (Aus) 72 69, V Riu (Fra) 71 70, T Khrongpha (Tha) 69 72, J Lagergren (Swe) 70 71, J Colomo (Esp) 72 69, D Woltman (USA) 67 74, M Bremner (RSA) 71 70, P Pittayarat (Tha) 67 74, K Phelan (Irl) 68 73, A Da Silva (Bra) 72 69, C Paisley (Eng) 72 69, C Bouniol (Fra) 71 70, C Hung (Tpe) 70 71
142 A Groom (Aus) 71 71, T Wiratchant (Tha) 71 71, C Del Moral (Esp) 68 74, R McGowan (Eng) 70 72, E De La Riva (Esp) 71 71, A Pavan (Ita) 73 69, J Hugo (RSA) 73 69, S Barr (Aus) 69 73, J Hahn (USA) 70 72, U Park (Aus) 72 70
143 R Wannasrichan (Tha) 74 69, C Phadungsil (Tha) 72 71, R Cairns (Zim) 69 74, S Supupramai (Tha) 70 73, D Van Tonder (RSA) 73 70, D Van Den Heever (RSA) 73 70, J Scrivener (Aus) 71 72, M Perera (Sri) 72 71, C Lloyd (Eng) 73 70, G Bhullar (Ind) 72 71, P Oriol (Esp) 70 73, R Karlberg (Swe) 68 75
MISSED THE CUT
144 W Coetsee (RSA) 71 73, J Higginbottom (Aus) 74 70, L Weber (Fra) 75 69, R Khan (Ind) 73 71, B Easton (RSA) 74 70, N Schietekat (RSA) 70 74, R McEvoy (Eng) 72 72, R Santos (Por) 74 70, S Rahman (Ban) 71 73
145 S Kapur (Ind) 71 74, J Blaauw (RSA) 74 71, U Van Den Berg (RSA) 73 72, J Knutzon (USA) 71 74, J Ahlers (RSA) 72 73, T Moore (RSA) 75 70
146 S Norris (RSA) 74 72, J Kruger (RSA) 72 74, T Bjørn (Den) 74 72, P Maddy (Eng) 78 68, S Hansen (Den) 72 74, R Van Der Spuy (RSA) 75 71,
147 P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 78 69, N Dougherty (Eng) 75 72, A Marshall (Eng) 73 74, A Velasco (Esp) 73 74, C Basson (RSA) 71 76, H Porteous (RSA) 76 71, T Ryan (RSA) 74 73
148 B Henson (USA) 72 76, J Edfors (Swe) 74 74, D Frittelli (RSA) 76 72, M Orrin (Eng) 72 76, M Both (Aus) 72 76, E Taylor (RSA) 73 75, G Tian-Lang (Chn) 77 71,
149 J Harding (RSA) 73 76, E Van Rooyen (RSA) 75 74, D Petersen (RSA) 76 73, V Groenewald (RSA) 75 74, T Thimba Jnr (RSA) 75 74, J Carlsson (Swe) 71 78
150 L Jensen (Den) 73 77, A Atwal (Ind) 73 77, L De Jager (RSA) 74 76
151 B Stow (Eng) 79 72, P Meesawat (Tha) 75 76, D Basson (RSA) 72 79, H Otto (RSA) 80 71, L Bax (am) (Mus) 72 79
152 A Vongvanij (Tha) 81 71, R Lupini (RSA) 73 79
153 A Curlewis (RSA) 82 71, L Rowe (RSA) 77 76, T Levet (Fra) 72 81
154 M Rominger (Sui) 76 78
156 N Tantipokhakul (Tha) 76 80
160 S Smith (Bot) 81 79
** K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 77 WD,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Thorbjørn Olesen continued to shine on his return from injury as he opened up a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, on a day when Javier Colomo sealed his place in European Tour history.
Dane Olesen, playing in his first tournament back after three months out following corrective surgery to tendons in his left hand, followed an opening round of 65 with a second round of 68 to move to nine under par at the Heritage Golf Club, with Sweden’s Pelle Edberg his closest rival on eight under par following a round of 66.
Joint overnight leader Olesen recovered well from a difficult start to his round, posting five birdies in six holes before the turn, after opening with bogeys on the first and third holes.
He dropped another shot on the 13th hole but picked up his sixth birdie of the day on the 16th to edge clear of Edberg at the top of the leaderboard.
South African pair Thomas Aiken and Dean Burmester are a further shot back on seven under par, after rounds of 66 and 68 respectively, sharing third place with Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick, who battled back from a double bogey on his eighth hole to sign for a round of 67.
Meanwhile, the first tri-sanctioned event between the European, Asian and Sunshine Tours will go down in the record books for another reason after Spaniard Colomo became the first player in the history of The European Tour to record a hole in one on a par four, courtesy of a dramatic albatross on his closing hole, the 322 yard ninth.
Remarkably, after dropping a shot on the previous hole, Colomo had needed a birdie to make the weekend, and his boldness with the driver off the tee paid off in the most spectacular way, as he finished two shots inside the cut after signing for a round of 69 and a one under par total.
Key player quotes
Thorbjørn Olesen – 68 (-9 total)
“I have read the greens very nicely this week, today and yesterday. I missed a couple of putts in the beginning today but then I holed some really nice putts and I feel like I have the pace of the greens.
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend. It’s been a long break and then all of a sudden I’m up there in the lead, so it will be a lot of fun. Mauritius is a beautiful country, so no matter what happens, I will still like it.
“I didn’t have the biggest expectations this week but I knew I was swinging the club well and I’ve been practising hard the last couple of weeks. I was obviously hoping for something good, but I’ve been surprised at home good my short game has been this week. I thought it would be the part that would be rusty, but it has actually been really good. I’m pleased at that and it’s brilliant to be leading. It’s fun to be out there and be at the front again.”
Pelle Edberg – 66 (-8 total)
“I’ve taken advantage of the par fives and the driveable par fours. I’ve been up there on pretty much every hole, putting for eagle, and those holes are the key this week.
“I’ve been hitting driver on every hole because I’ve been hitting it so good. Maybe I should take three wood on some holes, but not this week because I’m going for it.
We have a re-rank coming up in a month or so, so a few more Euros would be good. It’s a good start towards that.”
Thomas Aiken – 66 (-7 total)
“It was a grind out there yesterday and I did pretty well like that for two-under-par. That was a good score, and then I came out today with very few expectations. I just tried to keep the ball in play and play the golf course. I played better on my first nine and scored worse than I did on the back. That’s golf.”
Matthew Fitzpatrick – 67 (-7 total)
“To fight back after the double bogey and still finish four under is very pleasing. It was steady and solid after that. I’m not too far off the lead. A two-shot swing can happen in a round or even on a hole here. We’ve only played two rounds and anything can happen. It’s great being in Mauritius. I came here at the end of last year and it is great place. It’s been a great week so far, not only because I’m playing nicely, but we are looked after so well.
Javier Colomo – on his hole in one albatross on par four ninth hole
“For the first time in my life I hit an unbelievable driver, very high with a little cut. I tried to stop the ball on the green and the ball found the hole. I needed a birdie to make the cut, so a double eagle is just fantastic. (Note: Pin was 329 yards from the tee). I made three putt bogey on eight and I was two over and I needed birdie to make the cut. That’s why I hit driver as I needed a birdie.
“We couldn’t see (it go in). We heard some guys shouting but we couldn’t believe that. We thought the ball was very close but when we were on the fairway, we couldn’t see the ball on the green. And then one guy told me that the ball was in the hole. It was a perfect shot.”
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
133 T Olesen (Den) 65 68,
134 P Edberg (Swe) 68 66,
135 T Aiken (RSA) 69 66, D Burmester (RSA) 67 68, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 68 67
137 J Parry (Eng) 67 70, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 66 71, O Bekker (RSA) 66 71, R Gangjee (Ind) 67 70, J Wang (Kor) 65 72, G Coetzee (RSA) 70 67, C Pigem (Esp) 65 72, M Kawamura (Jpn) 68 69
138 M Mamat (Sin) 69 69, P Martin Benavides (Esp) 72 66, S Hend (Aus) 72 66, C Nel (RSA) 69 69, D Chopra (Swe) 70 68, A McArthur (Sco) 68 70
139 K Richardson (Aus) 73 66, M Lundberg (Swe) 68 71, J Janewattananond (Tha) 69 70, S Brazel (Aus) 69 70, P Peterson (USA) 69 70, K Horne (RSA) 70 69, S Lewton (Eng) 70 69, T Van Der Walt (RSA) 73 66
140 R Lee (Can) 72 68, N Holman (Aus) 67 73, B Evans (Eng) 70 70, J Palmer (Eng) 71 69, A Tadini (Ita) 71 69, J Walters (RSA) 67 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 71 69, B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 68 72
141 B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 70, M Muthiya (Zam) 67 74, J Roos (RSA) 70 71, E Goya (Arg) 70 71, A Dodt (Aus) 72 69, V Riu (Fra) 71 70, T Khrongpha (Tha) 69 72, J Lagergren (Swe) 70 71, J Colomo (Esp) 72 69, D Woltman (USA) 67 74, M Bremner (RSA) 71 70, P Pittayarat (Tha) 67 74, K Phelan (Irl) 68 73, A Da Silva (Bra) 72 69, C Paisley (Eng) 72 69, C Bouniol (Fra) 71 70, C Hung (Tpe) 70 71
142 A Groom (Aus) 71 71, T Wiratchant (Tha) 71 71, C Del Moral (Esp) 68 74, R McGowan (Eng) 70 72, E De La Riva (Esp) 71 71, A Pavan (Ita) 73 69, J Hugo (RSA) 73 69, S Barr (Aus) 69 73, J Hahn (USA) 70 72, U Park (Aus) 72 70
143 R Wannasrichan (Tha) 74 69, C Phadungsil (Tha) 72 71, R Cairns (Zim) 69 74, S Supupramai (Tha) 70 73, D Van Tonder (RSA) 73 70, D Van Den Heever (RSA) 73 70, J Scrivener (Aus) 71 72, M Perera (Sri) 72 71, C Lloyd (Eng) 73 70, G Bhullar (Ind) 72 71, P Oriol (Esp) 70 73, R Karlberg (Swe) 68 75
MISSED THE CUT
144 W Coetsee (RSA) 71 73, J Higginbottom (Aus) 74 70, L Weber (Fra) 75 69, R Khan (Ind) 73 71, B Easton (RSA) 74 70, N Schietekat (RSA) 70 74, R McEvoy (Eng) 72 72, R Santos (Por) 74 70, S Rahman (Ban) 71 73
145 S Kapur (Ind) 71 74, J Blaauw (RSA) 74 71, U Van Den Berg (RSA) 73 72, J Knutzon (USA) 71 74, J Ahlers (RSA) 72 73, T Moore (RSA) 75 70
146 S Norris (RSA) 74 72, J Kruger (RSA) 72 74, T Bjørn (Den) 74 72, P Maddy (Eng) 78 68, S Hansen (Den) 72 74, R Van Der Spuy (RSA) 75 71,
147 P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 78 69, N Dougherty (Eng) 75 72, A Marshall (Eng) 73 74, A Velasco (Esp) 73 74, C Basson (RSA) 71 76, H Porteous (RSA) 76 71, T Ryan (RSA) 74 73
148 B Henson (USA) 72 76, J Edfors (Swe) 74 74, D Frittelli (RSA) 76 72, M Orrin (Eng) 72 76, M Both (Aus) 72 76, E Taylor (RSA) 73 75, G Tian-Lang (Chn) 77 71,
149 J Harding (RSA) 73 76, E Van Rooyen (RSA) 75 74, D Petersen (RSA) 76 73, V Groenewald (RSA) 75 74, T Thimba Jnr (RSA) 75 74, J Carlsson (Swe) 71 78
150 L Jensen (Den) 73 77, A Atwal (Ind) 73 77, L De Jager (RSA) 74 76
151 B Stow (Eng) 79 72, P Meesawat (Tha) 75 76, D Basson (RSA) 72 79, H Otto (RSA) 80 71, L Bax (am) (Mus) 72 79
152 A Vongvanij (Tha) 81 71, R Lupini (RSA) 73 79
153 A Curlewis (RSA) 82 71, L Rowe (RSA) 77 76, T Levet (Fra) 72 81
154 M Rominger (Sui) 76 78
156 N Tantipokhakul (Tha) 76 80
160 S Smith (Bot) 81 79
** K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 77 WD,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Labels: CHALLENGE TOUR
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See story on its own page | Friday, May 08, 2015
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