Challenge Tour report and scores
Gros leads by two from Stiggy Hodgson
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Sebastien Gros launched himself into contention to become the first Frenchman for 14 years to win the Najeti Open Presented by Neuflize OBC after a second round of 66 at Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club.
Despite testing afternoon conditions in Lumbres, Gros plundered seven birdies to move to eight under par at the midway stage of the €200,000 event on the European Challenge Tour.
That total was good enough to secure a two-shot lead over England’s Stiggy Hodgson, who added a round of 67 to his opening 69.
Gros has yet to win on the Challenge Tour but is in a rich vein of form, with back-to-back top five finishes in Austria and the Czech Republic carrying him to 14th place in the Road to Oman Rankings.
Buoyed by the support of the home crowd and his caddie, fellow professional Arnaud Garrigues, Gros turned in 33 courtesy of a quartet of birdies.
After back-to-back gains from the tenth the 25 year old dropped a shot on the 12th hole, but swiftly cancelled that out with another birdie at the 14th to put himself in pole position to emulate the achievement of his namesake, Sébastien Delagrange, the last Frenchman to take the title in 2001.
Gros said: “I got off a pretty fast start with two birdies on the first two pars threes, so I was happy with that because they were two great iron shots. I managed to make two other birdies on the two par fives, so I’m very pleased with the way I played, especially as the conditions weren’t easy this afternoon.
“Having Arnaud on the bag has really helped this week. The only goal is to have fun, although I probably can’t repeat some of the things we were saying out there!
“I played really well when he caddied for me during the Pro-Am, we were laughing and joking the whole way round and we’ve carried the same attitude into the tournament. It’s definitely helped me to relax, and when I’m relaxed I play my best golf.”
Hodgson produced a brilliant finish to spring into contention, as the former Walker Cup player signed off with three consecutive birdies for a four under par round of 67.
“I played nicely,” said the 24 year old. “The finish was magic, with three birdies in a row. I played nicely and also got a little bit lucky, but you have to take your good breaks when they come along.
“This course really tests your patience a lot, but you just have to accept it. You can get bad breaks, but it’s the same for everyone.
“On the third hole, you can pitch in the middle of the fairway but end up in the trees, which is what happened to me today. So you do need a bit of luck out there.”
Hodgson twice represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup – in 2009 and 2011 – and has made steady progress since turning professional in 2012. Last week, he finished tied third in the KPMG Trophy in Belgium.
“Over the last few years I’ve managed to improve each part of my game and get a little better in everything,” he added. “It’s just about keeping the belief and always trying to improve.”]
Third place is currently shared by Finland’s Roope Kakko, Frenchman Thomas Linard and joint overnight leader Terry Pilkadaris of Australia, all of whom sit on four under par.
SECOND-ROUND SCORES, TOTALS
par 142 (2x71)
134 S Gros (Fra) 68 66
136 S Hodgson (Eng) 69 67,
138 T Pilkadaris (Aus) 66 72, T Linard (Fra) 69 69, R Kakko (Fin) 67 71,
139 T Sluiter (Ned) 72 67, H Joannes (Bel) 66 73, J Dantorp (Swe) 71 68, B Chapellan (Fra) 69 70,
140 R Fox (Nzl) 67 73, E Dubois (Fra) 69 71,
141 C Brazillier (Fra) 70 71, B Stone (RSA) 71 70, S Kim (USA) 69 72, J Walters (RSA) 71 70, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 68 73, A Kaleka (Fra) 73 68, J Hansen (Den) 70 71, F Calmels (Fra) 74 67, P Whiteford (Sco) 67 74,
142 N Ravano (Ita) 67 75, S Einhaus (Ger) 71 71, M Schneider (Ger) 69 73, M Bremner (RSA) 72 70, R Santos (Por) 73 69, P Meesawat (Tha) 70 72, J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 74, J Ballesteros (Esp) 74 68, M Orrin (Eng) 71 71, S Henry (Sco) 68 74, C Gloet (Den) 70 72, D Gaunt (Eng) 73 69,
143 J Glennemo (Swe) 73 70, N Quintarelli (Ita) 74 69, S Walker (Eng) 71 72, L Gagli (Ita) 73 70, J Doherty (Sco) 69 74, C Aguilar (Esp) 72 71, A Grenier (Fra) 71 72, J Rutherford (Eng) 70 73, J Watts (Eng) 72 71, P Widegren (Swe) 74 69, T Remkes (Ned) 68 75,
144 G Woolgar (Eng) 73 71, S Fernoux (Fra) 71 73, W Harrold (Eng) 72 72, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 72 72, S Manley (Wal) 72 72, G Murray (Sco) 72 72, O Bekker (RSA) 71 73, A Snobeck (Fra) 70 74, V Riu (Fra) 71 73, C Selfridge (Nir) 71 73, J Heath (Eng) 76 68, C Shinkwin (Eng) 72 72, R Gouveia (Por) 70 74, P Dwyer (Eng) 72 72,
145 R Davies (Wal) 75 70, D Huizing (Ned) 74 71, J Senior (Eng) 74 71, A Gee (Eng) 77 68, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 74 71, J Guerrier (Fra) 74 71, D Law (Sco) 74 71, E Saltman (Sco) 72 73, J Gonnet (Fra) 73 72, D Vancsik (Arg) 73 72, J Billing (Swe) 74 71, D Stewart (Sco) 73 72, R Coles (Eng) 71 74, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 77 68, G Maybin (Nir) 74 71, D Woltman (USA) 75 70, C Hanson (Eng) 71 74, N Elvira (Esp) 75 70,
MISSED THE CUT
146 J Lima (Por) 74 72, J Lucquin (Fra) 75 71, J Grillon (Fra) 71 75, M Wiegele (Aut) 71 75, M Radureau (Fra) 71 75, R McGee (Irl) 71 75, W Booth (Sco) 68 78, A Dunbar (Nir) 77 69, S Wakefield (Eng) 73 73,
147 J Gallegos (Esp) 73 74, M Fenasse (Fra) 70 77, O Rozner (Fra) 74 73, Z Lombard (RSA) 74 73, E Bertheussen (Nor) 74 73, D Dixon (Eng) 75 72, T Nemecz (Aut) 72 75, M Montgaillard (Fra) 78 69, G Porteous (Eng) 73 74, J Rask (Swe) 70 77, J Stalter (Fra) 72 75, J Makitalo (Fin) 73 74,
148 T Sinnott (Aus) 74 74, A McArthur (Sco) 72 76, Y El Hassani (Mar) 72 76, S Jeppesen (Swe) 73 75, B Stow (Eng) 72 76, D Im (USA) 71 77,
149 S Soderberg (Swe) 74 75, N Roche (Fra) 75 74, A Marshall (Eng) 73 76, C Berardo (Fra) 72 77, S Fallon (Eng) 81 68, K Le Sager (Fra) 71 78, S Heisele (Ger) 71 78, D Coupland (Eng) 76 73, K Subregis (Fra) 74 75, S Thornton (Irl) 69 80, P Archer (Eng) 76 73,
150 J Scrivener (Aus) 74 76, M Delpodio (Ita) 72 78, A Joudar (Mar) 74 76,
151 J McLeary (Sco) 77 74, J Verselin (Fra) 75 76, B Paolini (USA) 72 79,
152 P Maddy (Eng) 80 72, G Shaw (Nir) 72 80, X Ruiz Fonhof (Ned) 75 77, N Bertasio (Ita) 78 74, A Anghert (Fra) 75 77, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 75 77, A Saddier (Fra) 76 76,
153 T Tree (Eng) 79 74, P Figueiredo (Por) 73 80, N Geyger (Chi) 77 76, A Knappe (Ger) 75 78, J Lopez Lazaro (Fra) 75 78, R McGowan (Eng) 76 77, D Bobrowski (Fra) 76 77, T Elissalde (Fra) 78 75, D Antonelli (Fra) 74 79, D Burmester (RSA) 78 75, R Kellett (Sco) 75 78, M Rocchi (Fra) 76 77,
154 E Goya (Arg) 79 75, A Bernadet (Fra) 79 75, G Lockerbie (Eng) 75 79, S Akarsu (am) (Tur) 74 80,
155 M Kramer (Ger) 77 78, M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) 75 80, J Robinson (Eng) 79 76, A Altuntas (am) (Tur) 77 78,
156 E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 72 84, A Hartø (Den) 81 75,
157 D Palm (Swe) 79 78, C Russo (Fra) 77 80,
159 C Rameaux (Fra) 82 77,
160 S Debiais (Fra) 79 81,
** M Lafeber (Ned) 79 RT, G Boyd (Eng) 78 WD, S Griffiths (Eng) 75 WD, A Rota (Ita) RT 0,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Sebastien Gros launched himself into contention to become the first Frenchman for 14 years to win the Najeti Open Presented by Neuflize OBC after a second round of 66 at Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club.
Despite testing afternoon conditions in Lumbres, Gros plundered seven birdies to move to eight under par at the midway stage of the €200,000 event on the European Challenge Tour.
That total was good enough to secure a two-shot lead over England’s Stiggy Hodgson, who added a round of 67 to his opening 69.
Gros has yet to win on the Challenge Tour but is in a rich vein of form, with back-to-back top five finishes in Austria and the Czech Republic carrying him to 14th place in the Road to Oman Rankings.
Buoyed by the support of the home crowd and his caddie, fellow professional Arnaud Garrigues, Gros turned in 33 courtesy of a quartet of birdies.
After back-to-back gains from the tenth the 25 year old dropped a shot on the 12th hole, but swiftly cancelled that out with another birdie at the 14th to put himself in pole position to emulate the achievement of his namesake, Sébastien Delagrange, the last Frenchman to take the title in 2001.
Gros said: “I got off a pretty fast start with two birdies on the first two pars threes, so I was happy with that because they were two great iron shots. I managed to make two other birdies on the two par fives, so I’m very pleased with the way I played, especially as the conditions weren’t easy this afternoon.
“Having Arnaud on the bag has really helped this week. The only goal is to have fun, although I probably can’t repeat some of the things we were saying out there!
“I played really well when he caddied for me during the Pro-Am, we were laughing and joking the whole way round and we’ve carried the same attitude into the tournament. It’s definitely helped me to relax, and when I’m relaxed I play my best golf.”
Hodgson produced a brilliant finish to spring into contention, as the former Walker Cup player signed off with three consecutive birdies for a four under par round of 67.
“I played nicely,” said the 24 year old. “The finish was magic, with three birdies in a row. I played nicely and also got a little bit lucky, but you have to take your good breaks when they come along.
“This course really tests your patience a lot, but you just have to accept it. You can get bad breaks, but it’s the same for everyone.
“On the third hole, you can pitch in the middle of the fairway but end up in the trees, which is what happened to me today. So you do need a bit of luck out there.”
Hodgson twice represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup – in 2009 and 2011 – and has made steady progress since turning professional in 2012. Last week, he finished tied third in the KPMG Trophy in Belgium.
“Over the last few years I’ve managed to improve each part of my game and get a little better in everything,” he added. “It’s just about keeping the belief and always trying to improve.”]
Third place is currently shared by Finland’s Roope Kakko, Frenchman Thomas Linard and joint overnight leader Terry Pilkadaris of Australia, all of whom sit on four under par.
SECOND-ROUND SCORES, TOTALS
par 142 (2x71)
134 S Gros (Fra) 68 66
136 S Hodgson (Eng) 69 67,
138 T Pilkadaris (Aus) 66 72, T Linard (Fra) 69 69, R Kakko (Fin) 67 71,
139 T Sluiter (Ned) 72 67, H Joannes (Bel) 66 73, J Dantorp (Swe) 71 68, B Chapellan (Fra) 69 70,
140 R Fox (Nzl) 67 73, E Dubois (Fra) 69 71,
141 C Brazillier (Fra) 70 71, B Stone (RSA) 71 70, S Kim (USA) 69 72, J Walters (RSA) 71 70, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 68 73, A Kaleka (Fra) 73 68, J Hansen (Den) 70 71, F Calmels (Fra) 74 67, P Whiteford (Sco) 67 74,
142 N Ravano (Ita) 67 75, S Einhaus (Ger) 71 71, M Schneider (Ger) 69 73, M Bremner (RSA) 72 70, R Santos (Por) 73 69, P Meesawat (Tha) 70 72, J Fahrbring (Swe) 68 74, J Ballesteros (Esp) 74 68, M Orrin (Eng) 71 71, S Henry (Sco) 68 74, C Gloet (Den) 70 72, D Gaunt (Eng) 73 69,
143 J Glennemo (Swe) 73 70, N Quintarelli (Ita) 74 69, S Walker (Eng) 71 72, L Gagli (Ita) 73 70, J Doherty (Sco) 69 74, C Aguilar (Esp) 72 71, A Grenier (Fra) 71 72, J Rutherford (Eng) 70 73, J Watts (Eng) 72 71, P Widegren (Swe) 74 69, T Remkes (Ned) 68 75,
144 G Woolgar (Eng) 73 71, S Fernoux (Fra) 71 73, W Harrold (Eng) 72 72, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 72 72, S Manley (Wal) 72 72, G Murray (Sco) 72 72, O Bekker (RSA) 71 73, A Snobeck (Fra) 70 74, V Riu (Fra) 71 73, C Selfridge (Nir) 71 73, J Heath (Eng) 76 68, C Shinkwin (Eng) 72 72, R Gouveia (Por) 70 74, P Dwyer (Eng) 72 72,
145 R Davies (Wal) 75 70, D Huizing (Ned) 74 71, J Senior (Eng) 74 71, A Gee (Eng) 77 68, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 74 71, J Guerrier (Fra) 74 71, D Law (Sco) 74 71, E Saltman (Sco) 72 73, J Gonnet (Fra) 73 72, D Vancsik (Arg) 73 72, J Billing (Swe) 74 71, D Stewart (Sco) 73 72, R Coles (Eng) 71 74, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 77 68, G Maybin (Nir) 74 71, D Woltman (USA) 75 70, C Hanson (Eng) 71 74, N Elvira (Esp) 75 70,
MISSED THE CUT
146 J Lima (Por) 74 72, J Lucquin (Fra) 75 71, J Grillon (Fra) 71 75, M Wiegele (Aut) 71 75, M Radureau (Fra) 71 75, R McGee (Irl) 71 75, W Booth (Sco) 68 78, A Dunbar (Nir) 77 69, S Wakefield (Eng) 73 73,
147 J Gallegos (Esp) 73 74, M Fenasse (Fra) 70 77, O Rozner (Fra) 74 73, Z Lombard (RSA) 74 73, E Bertheussen (Nor) 74 73, D Dixon (Eng) 75 72, T Nemecz (Aut) 72 75, M Montgaillard (Fra) 78 69, G Porteous (Eng) 73 74, J Rask (Swe) 70 77, J Stalter (Fra) 72 75, J Makitalo (Fin) 73 74,
148 T Sinnott (Aus) 74 74, A McArthur (Sco) 72 76, Y El Hassani (Mar) 72 76, S Jeppesen (Swe) 73 75, B Stow (Eng) 72 76, D Im (USA) 71 77,
149 S Soderberg (Swe) 74 75, N Roche (Fra) 75 74, A Marshall (Eng) 73 76, C Berardo (Fra) 72 77, S Fallon (Eng) 81 68, K Le Sager (Fra) 71 78, S Heisele (Ger) 71 78, D Coupland (Eng) 76 73, K Subregis (Fra) 74 75, S Thornton (Irl) 69 80, P Archer (Eng) 76 73,
150 J Scrivener (Aus) 74 76, M Delpodio (Ita) 72 78, A Joudar (Mar) 74 76,
151 J McLeary (Sco) 77 74, J Verselin (Fra) 75 76, B Paolini (USA) 72 79,
152 P Maddy (Eng) 80 72, G Shaw (Nir) 72 80, X Ruiz Fonhof (Ned) 75 77, N Bertasio (Ita) 78 74, A Anghert (Fra) 75 77, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 75 77, A Saddier (Fra) 76 76,
153 T Tree (Eng) 79 74, P Figueiredo (Por) 73 80, N Geyger (Chi) 77 76, A Knappe (Ger) 75 78, J Lopez Lazaro (Fra) 75 78, R McGowan (Eng) 76 77, D Bobrowski (Fra) 76 77, T Elissalde (Fra) 78 75, D Antonelli (Fra) 74 79, D Burmester (RSA) 78 75, R Kellett (Sco) 75 78, M Rocchi (Fra) 76 77,
154 E Goya (Arg) 79 75, A Bernadet (Fra) 79 75, G Lockerbie (Eng) 75 79, S Akarsu (am) (Tur) 74 80,
155 M Kramer (Ger) 77 78, M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) 75 80, J Robinson (Eng) 79 76, A Altuntas (am) (Tur) 77 78,
156 E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 72 84, A Hartø (Den) 81 75,
157 D Palm (Swe) 79 78, C Russo (Fra) 77 80,
159 C Rameaux (Fra) 82 77,
160 S Debiais (Fra) 79 81,
** M Lafeber (Ned) 79 RT, G Boyd (Eng) 78 WD, S Griffiths (Eng) 75 WD, A Rota (Ita) RT 0,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Labels: CHALLENGE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, June 19, 2015
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