Spieth late  birdie hat-trick puts him in contention FROM GOLFWEEK.COM By Andy Zunz Jordan Spieth closed his day with three straight birdies, jumping into contention at the AT and T Byron Nelson during Round 2's morning wave. Spieth, a 21-year-old Dallas native, shot a 5-under 64 at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas, sitting within three shots of the lead at 6 under overall when play was called on Friday due to darkness.   Steven Bowditch, Jon Curran and Jimmy Walker reached 9 under on Friday, holding the lead heading into the weekend. The start of Round 2 was delayed three hours, as heavy overnight rains affected the course and altered the staff's plans. The course played to a par of 69 after the 14th hole, typically a 406-yard par 4, was modified to play as a par 3. The fairway was flooded and deemed unplayable, forcing the tee box to be moved to a spot 104 yards away from the pin. After considering letting the hole stand as a par 4, officials decided to let it play as a par 3. "Tomorrow I need to shoot a round like I did today," Spieth said. "Tomorrow is a big day." Spieth hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation for the second straight day. His birdie streak to end the day was kickstarted by a nice approach at the par-5 seventh, his 16th hole. Spieth took advantage of the preferred-lies policy on the fairway as he hit driver off the deck and hit the green in two. "I had my pitch mark right beind where my ball was so I can put it up almost like it was a tee," Spieth said. "I felt pretty good with it, and it led to a birdie." Spieth is tied for 11th at 6 under, amid a large group of golfers who were able to take advantage of the conditions and make birdies in bunches. Curran, a PGA Tour rookie, was among that number, as he shot a 6-under 63 to take a share of the lead through two days of play. "I got off to a pretty good start, hit some close iron shots and made some 10- to 15-foot birdie putts to get some momentum," Curran said. "That was the big difference today. "Every week I learn something different and feel like I'm getting more comfortable with the player that I am. There are some low spots throughout the year, but you have to stay patient, calm and confident."
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T27	Tom Gillis*	66	19	-	-	+1	5	-3	85
T27	Derek Ernst	67	15	-	-	E	4	-3	82
T27	James Hahn	65	17	-	-	+2	4	-3	82
T27	Charley Hoffman*	69	6	-	-	-2	2	-3	75
T27	Steve Wheatcroft*	67	4	-	-	E	1	-3	71
T40	Chad Collins	70	67	-	-	-2	F	-2	137
T40	Nicholas Thompson	70	67	-	-	-2	F	-2	137
T40	Vijay Singh	70	67	-	-	-2	F	-2	137
T40	Brooks Koepka	69	68	-	-	-1	F	-2	137
T40	Kenny Perry	69	68	-	-	-1	F	-2	137
T40	Justin Thomas	70	67	-	-	-2	F	-2	137
T40	Jim Herman	69	68	-	-	-1	F	-2	137
T40	Sam Saunders	69	64	-	-	-1	17	-2	133
T40	Richard Sterne	71	62	-	-	-3	17	-2	133
T40	Mark Hubbard*	71	58	-	-	-3	16	-2	129
T40	Graham DeLaet	69	17	-	-	-1	5	-2	86
T40	Michael Thompson	68	11	-	-	E	3	-2	79
T40	Hunter Mahan*	68	8	-	-	E	2	-2	76
T40	Colt Knost	68	4	-	-	E	1	-2	72
T40	Erik Compton	68	5:30 pm	-	-	-	-	-2	68
T40	Joe Affrunti	68	5:40 pm	-	-	-	-	-2	68
T40	Byron Smith	68	5:50 pm	-	-	-	-	-2	68
T40	Mark D. Anderson	68	6:00 pm	-	-	-	-	-2	68
T40	Will Wilcox	68	6:00 pm	-	-	-	-	-2	68
T59	Billy Hurley III	73	65	-	-	-4	F	-1	138
T59	John Huh	69	69	-	-	E	F	-1	138
T59	Brian Harman	70	68	-	-	-1	F	-1	138
T59	Greg Chalmers	69	69	-	-	E	F	-1	138
T59	Spencer Levin	71	67	-	-	-2	F	-1	138
T59	Carlos Ortiz	71	67	-	-	-2	F	-1	138
T59	Jonathan Byrd	67	71	-	-	+2	F	-1	138
T59	Michael Putnam	72	66	-	-	-3	F	-1	138
T59	Roger Sloan*	74	60	-	-	-5	17	-1	134
T59	Zach Johnson	69	7	-	-	E	2	-1	76
T59	Rory Sabbatini*	69	4	-	-	E	1	-1	73
T59	Roberto Castro*	69	4	-	-	E	1	-1	73
T59	Adam Hadwin*	69	4	-	-	E	1	-1	73
T59	Benjamin Alvarado	69	5:40 pm	-	-	-	-	-1	69
T59	Austin Connelly	69	5:50 pm	-	-	-	-	-1	69
T74	David Lingmerth	72	67	-	-	-2	F	E	139
T74	Blake Adams	73	66	-	-	-3	F	E	139
T74	Brian Stuard	70	69	-	-	E	F	E	139
T74	Harrison Frazar	71	68	-	-	-1	F	E	139
T74	Martin Laird	70	69	-	-	E	F	E	139
T74	Austin Cook*	74	61	-	-	-4	17	E	135
T74	Whee Kim	72	63	-	-	-2	17	E	135
T74	Cody Gribble*	72	59	-	-	-2	16	E	131
T74	Trevor Immelman	71	17	-	-	-1	5	E	88
T74	Carl Pettersson*	69	19	-	-	+1	5	E	88
T74	Charles Howell III*	68	17	-	-	+2	4	E	85
T74	Brandt Snedeker	71	6	-	-	-1	2	E	77
T74	John Mallinger	70	7	-	-	E	2	E	77
T74	Heath Slocum*	70	4	-	-	E	1	E	74
T74	Robert Garrigus	70	5:30 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Andres Gonzales	70	5:30 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Morgan Hoffmann	70	5:30 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Kyle Reifers	70	5:30 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Gonzalo Fernandez-Casta	70	5:40 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Marc Leishman	70	5:40 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Cameron Smith	70	5:40 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Andrew Putnam	70	5:50 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Fabian Gomez	70	6:00 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Tom Hoge	70	6:00 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T74	Creighton Honeck	70	6:00 pm	-	-	-	-	E	70
T99	J.J. Henry	69	71	-	-	+2	F	+1	140
T99	Ben Crane	70	70	-	-	+1	F	+1	140
T99	Brendon Todd	72	68	-	-	-1	F	+1	140
T99	Bill Lunde	74	66	-	-	-3	F	+1	140
T99	Andres Romero	69	71	-	-	+2	F	+1	140
T99	Patrick Rodgers*	72	64	-	-	-1	17	+1	136
T99	Steve Alker	69	64	-	-	+2	16	+1	133
T99	Brendan Steele*	72	17	-	-	-1	5	+1	89
T99	Aaron Baddeley*	71	18	-	-	E	5	+1	89
T99	Greg Owen	71	18	-	-	E	5	+1	89
T99	Jhonattan Vegas*	70	19	-	-	+1	5	+1	89
T99	Matt Kuchar	71	7	-	-	E	2	+1	78
T99	Charl Schwartzel*	71	8	-	-	E	2	+1	79
T99	Vaughn Taylor*	71	4	-	-	E	1	+1	75
T99	Daniel Berger	72	3	-	-	-1	1	+1	75
T99	Bo Van Pelt	71	4	-	-	E	1	+1	75
T99	Brandt Jobe	71	4	-	-	E	1	+1	75
T116	Chad Campbell	70	71	-	-	+2	F	+2	141
T116	Scott Verplank	71	70	-	-	+1	F	+2	141
T116	Derek Fathauer*	71	23	-	-	+1	6	+2	94
T116	Jim Renner*	73	21	-	-	-1	6	+2	94
T116	Geoff Ogilvy*	73	14	-	-	-1	4	+2	87
T116	Jason Dufner	71	12	-	-	+1	3	+2	83
T116	D.A. Points*	71	5	-	-	+1	1	+2	76
T123	Scott Langley	73	69	-	-	E	F	+3	142
T123	Chris Smith	73	69	-	-	E	F	+3	142
T123	Zack Sucher	71	67	-	-	+2	17	+3	138
T123	Mike Weir*	71	17	-	-	+2	4	+3	88
T123	Scott Piercy*	72	5	-	-	+1	1	+3	77
T123	Alex Prugh	73	5:30 pm	-	-	-	-	+3	73
T123	Hudson Swafford	73	5:40 pm	-	-	-	-	+3	73
T123	Kelly Kraft	73	6:00 pm	-	-	-	-	+3	73
T131	John Rollins	77	66	-	-	-3	F	+4	143
T131	Ricky Barnes	71	72	-	-	+3	F	+4	143
T131	Tim Wilkinson*	72	24	-	-	+2	6	+4	96
T131	Chez Reavie*	73	19	-	-	+1	5	+4	92
T131	Charlie Wi	75	17	-	-	-1	5	+4	92
T131	Sang-Moon Bae	74	11	-	-	E	3	+4	85
T131	Brian Davis	74	4	-	-	E	1	+4	78
T131	Brandon Hagy	74	5:50 pm	-	-	-	-	+4	74
T139	D.H. Lee	77	67	-	-	-2	F	+5	144
T139	Carlos Sainz Jr.*	73	67	-	-	+2	17	+5	140
T139	Christopher Brown	74	63	-	-	+1	16	+5	137
T139	Andrew Svoboda	74	23	-	-	+1	6	+5	97
T139	Troy Matteson	75	18	-	-	E	5	+5	93
T139	Charlie Beljan	72	21	-	-	+3	5	+5	93
T145	Eric Axley	72	73	-	-	+4	F	+6	145
T145	Max Homa*	79	58	-	-	-3	16	+6	137
T145	Josh Teater*	76	4	-	-	E	1	+6	80
T148	Tim Petrovic	73	73	-	-	+4	F	+7	146
T148	Jason Gore	73	73	-	-	+4	F	+7	146
T148	Robert Allenby	76	23	-	-	+1	6	+7	99
T148	Johnson Wagner	76	23	-	-	+1	6	+7	99
T148	Oscar Fraustro	77	5:50 pm	-	-	-	-	+7	77
T148	Tyrone Van Aswegen	77	5:50 pm	-	-	-	-	+7	77
154	Kevin Golding	80	68	-	-	+3	17	+13	148
155	Angel Cabrera	74	4:40 pm	-	-	-	-	+4	74
156	Retief Goosen	77	11:30 am	-	-	-	-	+7	77
* player started on back nine.

Brown, Geyget share lead in Czech Challenge

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Steven Brown and Nico Geyger will take a one-shot advantage into the weekend of the D+D Real Czech Challenge after contrasting rounds carried them to the top of the leaderboard on ten under par. 
After opening with a superb round of 65, Brown admitted day two was more of a grind as his swing deserted him on his front nine. But the Englishman remained patient and received his just rewards with a back nine of 33 which featured three birdies in his final four holes.
In contrast, Geyger flew out of the blocks with five unanswered birdies in an outward nine of 31 at Golf and Spa Kunetická Hora. 
The Chilean was unable to able to maintain his momentum on his back nine, but a round of 66 was still good enough to give him a share of the lead for the first time in his fledgling Challenge Tour career.
Geyger said: “I drove the ball really well today, so I was in good position from the fairways and if you do that, you’re going to hit it close a few times. I really got it going early in the round and I also made a few chances on my back nine, but didn’t manage to take as many. It obviously puts me in a great position going into the weekend, and hopefully I can keep it going.
“I’m really enjoying my first season on the Challenge Tour, it’s a new experience for me and it takes a while to get used to everything, but it’s been a great education. I’m now renting an apartment in Madrid with my wife, which makes the travelling a lot easier. So I feel much more settled now, and hopefully that will start to show in my results.”     
Brown is playing his second season on the Challenge Tour, following a debut campaign which yielded six top tens and a 27th place finish in the final 2014 Rankings.
After a slow start to the current campaign Brown has hit his stride since arriving in Drítec, and the 28 year old will now go in search of a maiden Challenge Tour title over the weekend after signing for a round of 69.
He said: “It wasn’t pretty on my front nine today, to be honest. I struggled to take my swing from the range onto the golf course and it was all a bit of a struggle, but I managed to hang in there and grind out a level par front nine, then things got going on my back nine.
“I hit a great shot into the first which got me under par for the day, and after that I warmed up and didn’t look back. The three birdies in four holes towards the end turned what could have been an average day into a very good one, so I’m really pleased.
“Although I didn’t play anywhere near as well as I did on the first day, I’m almost more pleased with today’s round because it could have got away from me on that front nine. Today was about staying patient and waiting for the good shots to come along, and fortunately they did later in the round.”
Brown and Geyger lead by a shot from a quartet of players which includes the 2010 Challenge Tour Rankings winner Alvaro Velasco of Spain.
Velasco has dropped just one shot in two days this week, adding a round of 67 to his opening 68 to move to nine under par alongside Finn Jaako Makitalo (66) and the English duo of James Robinson and joint overnight leader Ross McGowan, who signed for respective rounds of 69 and 70.
Further down the leaderboard, Czech amateur Michal Pospisil showcased his burgeoning talent with a round of 70 to make the cut on three under par.
A total of 71 professionals and one amateur made the cut on 141 (-3) or better
SECOND-ROUND SCORES
134 S Brown (Eng) 65 69, N Geyger (Chi) 68 66,
 135 A Velasco (Esp) 68 67, J Robinson (Eng) 66 69, J Makitalo  (Fin) 69 66, R McGowan  (Eng) 65 70,
 136 N Quintarelli (Ita) 67 69, J Heath  (Eng) 70 66, J Fahrbring (Swe) 66 70, G Porteous (Eng) 67 69, C Del Moral (Esp) 68 68, J Glennemo (Swe) 67 69,
 137 A McArthur  (Sco) 68 69, C Selfridge  (Nir) 70 67, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 68 69, J Hahn (USA) 71 66, S Gros (Fra) 69 68, N Bertasio (Ita) 68 69, B Åkesson (Swe) 66 71,
 138 J Sjöholm (Swe) 69 69, E Dubois (Fra) 70 68, R Gouveia (Por) 69 69, S Arnold  (Aus) 69 69, J Senior (Eng) 68 70, W Booth  (Sco) 69 69,
 139 J Doherty  (Sco) 69 70, S Fallon (Eng) 70 69, J McLeary  (Sco) 65 74, D Im (USA) 71 68, O Bekker (RSA) 70 69, C Aguilar  (Esp) 69 70, B Weilguni (Aut) 68 71, A Ahokas (Fin) 70 69, N Elvira  (Esp) 74 65, J Winther (Den) 69 70, J Smith (Eng) 71 68, B Virto Astudillo (Esp) 73 66, D Woltman (USA) 67 72, M Søgaard  (Den) 69 70, P Widegren  (Swe) 70 69, A Tadini (Ita) 69 70,
 140 P Relecom  (Bel) 68 72, W Harrold (Eng) 72 68, N Kristensen  (Den) 70 70, C Shinkwin (Eng) 72 68, D Ulrich (Sui) 69 71, A Snobeck  (Fra) 66 74, M Delpodio  (Ita) 70 70, S Tiley (Eng) 70 70, A Rota (Ita) 67 73, H Joannes  (Bel) 69 71, R Pugh  (Wal) 69 71, D Gaunt (Eng) 66 74, J Billing (Swe) 68 72, S Wakefield (Eng) 71 69,
 141 J Stalter (Fra) 71 70, S Heisele (Ger) 70 71, S Jeppesen  (Swe) 67 74, J White (Eng) 68 73, R Evans  (Eng) 73 68, J Guerrier  (Fra) 71 70, A Pavan (Ita) 71 70, L Motta (Ita) 71 70, M Schneider (Ger) 70 71, D Vancsik (Arg) 74 67, G Lockerbie  (Eng) 72 69, P Whiteford (Sco) 68 73, H Porteous (RSA) 70 71, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 69 72, S Soderberg (Swe) 70 71, J Blaauw  (RSA) 73 68, M Pospisil (am) (Cze) 71 70,
MISSED THE CUT
 142 B Ritthammer (Ger) 71 71, A Halvorsen  (Nor) 72 70, J Lima  (Por) 69 73, S Reeves (USA) 70 72, A Hartø  (Den) 71 71, T Linard (Fra) 69 73, N Ravano (Ita) 70 72, O Lieser (Cze) 71 71, E Bertheussen (Nor) 74 68, B Etchart  (Esp) 68 74, D Huizing (Ned) 69 73,
 143 L Gagli  (Ita) 73 70, R Kellett (Sco) 71 72, S Einhaus (Ger) 73 70, A Björk (Swe) 72 71, C Hanson (Eng) 76 67, S Matus  (Cze) 73 70, M Lafeber (Ned) 71 72, A Romano  (Ita) 70 73, J Huldahl (Den) 69 74, L Nemecz (Aut) 71 72, S Walker (Eng) 71 72, M Orrin (Eng) 72 71,
 144 J Watts (Eng) 68 76, T Nemecz (Aut) 70 74, C Mivis  (Bel) 73 71, G Murray  (Sco) 72 72,
 145 J Sarasti  (Esp) 74 71, P Archer (Eng) 72 73, S Piaget  (Mon) 72 73, A Gee  (Eng) 76 69, E Goya (Arg) 71 74, J Hansen  (Den) 72 73, L Tintera  (Cze) 74 71, A Hortal  (Esp) 73 72, K Hesbois  (Bel) 76 69, E Saltman  (Sco) 75 70,
 146 P Gal  (Cze) 72 74, D Palm (Swe) 74 72, J Carlota (Por) 76 70, J Gonnet  (Fra) 72 74, H Satama (Fin) 73 73, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 76 70, D Stewart (Sco) 75 71, N Dahlgren (Fin) 73 73, R Enoch  (Wal) 69 77, C Gloet  (Den) 73 73, V Novak (am) (Cze) 71 75,
 147 T Lawrence (RSA) 72 75, T Sluiter  (Ned) 78 69, K Benz (Sui) 75 72, B Evans  (Eng) 70 77, S Kim (USA) 71 76, Š Zach (am) (Cze) 72 75,
 148 C Suk (Cze) 73 75, M Bremner (RSA) 72 76, T Cruz  (Por) 76 72, T Sinnott (Aus) 79 69,
 149 X Ruiz Fonhof  (Ned) 74 75, E Cuartero Blanco  (Esp) 78 71, O Henningsson  (Swe) 74 75, A Marshall (Eng) 73 76,
 150 N Meitinger  (Ger) 80 70, H Yamac (Tur) 76 74, K Samooja (Fin) 75 75, M Wiegele  (Aut) 74 76,
 151 M Novy  (Cze) 76 75,
 152 J Simon De Miguel (Esp) 74 78, K Subregis  (Fra) 75 77, S Echikson  (Bel) 74 78, P Doherty (Sco) 74 78, D Pavoucek (am) (Cze) 75 77, V Lebl (am) (Cze) 77 75,
 153 A Bernadet  (Fra) 76 77,
 154 S Hodgson (Eng) 77 77, A Korinek (Cze) 72 82,
 155 M Kramer  (Ger) 82 73,
 157 D Suchan  (Cze) 82 75, J Pokorny (am) (Cze) 74 83,
 158 P Dedek (am) (Cze) 77 81,
 ** R Hahn (Hun) 71 DQ, R Coles (Eng) 75 RT, A Rajmont  (Cze) 78 RT, P Meesawat  (Tha) 69 WD,

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

O'Sullivan (67) bidding to become the oldest 

winner in town - shares Celtic Manor lead 
 
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Ireland’s Denis O’Sullivan will attempt to become only the second Old Age Pensioner to claim a European Senior Tour title after claiming a share of the first-round lead in the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open, along with Spaniard Miguel Angel Martin, at The Celtic Manor Resort.
O’Sullivan and Martin were able to watch each other shoot three under par rounds of 67 over the Roman Road course as part of the same three ball, and both acknowledged they have very different reasons for wanting to win on Sunday.
The Cork man would love nothing better than to become the oldest swinger in town by following Neil Coles as a 67 year old champion. Martin, meanwhile, is hoping to honour his late mother - who died only a week ago - by capturing his first Senior Tour title.
O’Sullivan, the record holder for starts on the Senior Tour with 290 under his belt, would be 67 years and 81 days if he prevails on Sunday in the tournament supported by SSE Enterprise and the Welsh Government. Only Coles, at 67 years and 276 days, would be older.
“I can’t believe nobody has played more events than me,” exclaimed O’Sullivan, who was even more shocked to learn that only Coles had won a title beyond the age of 64. “Now that’s a stat I do like – winning my seventh Senior title and drawing my pension at the same time.
“Actually, I have another stat to add to the list. I equalled my age for the third time on Tour today and actually beat it last year in Bad Ragaz. Every time I manage that feat, there is a real sense of achievement.”
O’Sullivan finished with three straight threes – birdieing the final two holes. “I hit most of the greens in regulation," he said. "That was the secret. I let some silly shots escape but overall it was a good, solid day.”
Martin, 14 years younger than his playing partner and the only person all day to card a bogey-free round, admitted he wanted nothing more than to win the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open title for his late mother, Pilar, who died at the age of 82 last Thursday while her son was playing in the Senior PGA Championship in Indiana.
“I was playing in the States when I learned she has passed away” he said. “I knew she was very ill before I flew to America but she told me: ‘It’s your job – go and play golf. You have to play’. I wasn’t keen to leave her but she insisted, and it would be great to win in her memory on Sunday.”
England’s Malcolm Mackenzie, Qualifying School graduate Graeme Bell and two-time champion in 2014, Paul Wesselingh, all shot 69s to be nicely in touch, while Scotland’s Bill Longmuir used an eagle two at the first, holing his second shot from the fairway, to help him to a round of 70 alongside a host of players including Welsh favourites  Ian Woosnam and Mark Mouland.
Former Masters champion Woosnam, who was not helped by a two and a half hour rain delay in the morning, recovered from a shaky start with birdie twos at the seventh, 15th and 17th to card his level par 70.
“I struggled out there” he said. “My back was really hurting and the pace of play was slow. I couldn’t get going. I am fine when I keep moving but not when the pace of play if over five hours. I am used to playing fast.
“However I hit a couple of nice shots towards the end and made twos from them, which helped a bit. It was a tough day, my back was stiff but you just have to battle through it.”
Mouland concurred about the tricky, blustery conditions. He said: “It was mentally draining in that wind. I am absolutely shattered. It was tough, especially on the more exposed back nine, but level par is now far away.”

FIRST-ROUND SCORES
67 D O'Sullivan (Irl) , M Martin (Esp) ,
69 M Mackenzie (Eng) , G Bell (Eng) , P Wesselingh (Eng) ,
70 C Mason (Eng) , M Mouland (Wal) , B Longmuir (Sco) , B Cameron (Eng) , C Monasterio (Arg) , I Woosnam (Wal) , M Harwood (Aus) , A Bossert (Sui) ,
71 G Rusnak (USA) , G Emerson (Eng) , G Marks (Eng) ,
72 P Mitchell (Eng) , S Brown (Eng) , P Linhart (Esp) , A Oldcorn (Sco) , P Fowler (Aus) , A Forsbrand (Swe) , D Russell (Eng) , M James (Eng) , S Tinning (Den) ,
73 T Elliott (Aus) , R Gibson (Can) , G Manson (Aut) , M Davis (Eng) , J Berendt (Arg) , C Rocca (Ita) ,
74 P Walton (Irl) , A Sherborne (Eng) , A Murray (Eng) , K Tarling (Can) , M Bianco (Ita) , T Thelen (USA) , B Lane (Eng) , S Luna (Esp) , C Williams (RSA) , G Brand Jnr (Sco) ,
75 P Eales (Eng) , R Sabarros (Fra) , J Quiros (Esp) , J Carriles (Esp) , L Carbonetti (Arg) , M Cunning (USA) , J Spence (Eng) , J Gould (Eng) , T Price (Aus) ,
76 G Wolstenholme (Eng) , M McLean (Eng) , J Harrison (Eng) , S Torrance (Sco) , R Drummond (Sco) , M Farry (Fra) , P Golding (Eng) ,
77 G Ryall (Eng) , P Evans (Wal) , W Grant (Eng) , J Rivero (Esp) , N Job (Eng) , G Davies (Wal) , F Lamare (Fra) ,
78 G Brand (Eng) , V Garcia (Esp) , M Piñero (Esp) , K Hutton (Sco) , S Cipa (Eng) ,
79 N Ratcliffe (Aus) ,
80 D Hospital (Esp) , J Bruner (USA) ,


EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Aberdonians' mixed fortunes in Irish Open

Ramsay shares lead but Lawrie misses cut
 
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald will lead the chasing pack looking to hunt down the six halfway leaders at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation.
Three-time Major winner Harrington, the winner of his national Open in 2007, and former World Number One Donald, are among the biggest names looking to overhaul Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Tyrell Hatton, Søren Kjeldsen, Richie Ramsay, Chris Wood and Bernd Weisberger at the top of the leaderboard.
They share the lead on three under par 139.
Harrington and Donald are one stroke behind – with Players’ Champion Rickie Fowler a further two shots back –  after another hugely testing day at Royal County Down Golf Club, Newcastke in Northern Ireland, where gusting winds and driving rain showers tested many of the world’s best to their limits.
Indeed, the world’s best player and tournament host Rory McIlroy fell victim to Royal County Down as he failed to recover from his first round 80 and missed the halfway cut with a level par 71 on day two.

Player Quotes:

BERND WIESBERGER (139, -3)
“I'm hitting it much better than last week. I put in some work on the weekend after what was a disappointing week at Wentworth.  I drove the ball really nicely so far this week.  It's important here, the fairways are not wide, to get chances, you need to come out of the fairway.  I did that pretty well today.”
RICHIE RAMSAY (139, -3)
“I hit some really good shots today but the most important thing is when I hit a poor shot, I rebounded well, I got up‑and‑down.  A little bit disappointed I didn't get up‑and‑down on the last but 67 is a great score out there, and it’s a great atmosphere. When the putts go in, there's nice cheers and stuff and I think everybody is having a great time out there.”
SØREN KJELDSEN (139, -3)
“I think if you categorised my game, I think I hit it pretty straight off the tee and my short game is generally pretty strong.  So I think that sets up nicely for tough golf courses. I kept it in play nicely and when I get that putter going, I can keep the score under control.”
TYRRELL HATTON (139, -3)
“I hit it close today and actually holed a couple of putts which was good.  Been struggling with my putting recently.  I feel I've been hitting good putts, but they’ve just not been dropping.  Obviously holed a few today which was nice.  A little bit of a surprise to see them drop but always happy to see it.”
CHRIS WOOD (139, -3)
“Conditions were tough out there today, we had a bit of everything again.  Probably a little bit worse than we had yesterday morning, and certainly I would say we've had the slightly harder side of the draw.  But, it is satisfying to break par.”
RAFA CABRERA-BELLO (139, -3)
“I had a little bit of luck out there but I played pretty well and I am just really pleased with the way I managed myself out there today. I am very proud of my score – it doesn’t matter that I was bogey free today. I enjoyed it today and hopefully I can keep it going over the weekend.”
PADRAIG HARRINGTON (140, -2)
“I'm now in a position that I'm going to have to play well on the weekend and not get anything going against me.  There will be a lot of people just making the cut this weekend that will feel like they have a chance of winning now that I've come back to the pack in some way. It's going to be a much tougher weekend.  I won't have the luxury of having any bad runs, let's say.  I'll have to stick in there and play well and hope things actually go in my favour.”
LUKE DONALD (140, -2)
“Ten birdies around here (over two rounds) is great.  Obviously I'd love to minimise the mistakes a little bit but this is a very tough course.  But the ten birdies is very encouraging.  Through some good ball striking and better putting, which for me is always a big key to my game.”
RORY McILROY (151, +9)
“Positives? About my golf game?  Probably none.  About everything else that we've done?  There's obviously loads of positives.  The Irish Open is now back to what it should be – just look around you. And all the work that we've done with the Foundation and all the people that we're helping because of that means there's loads of positives in that sense. But my golf game, not so much.”

SECOND-ROUND SCORES
139 C Wood  (Eng) 70 69, T Hatton (Eng) 73 66, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 72 67, R Ramsay  (Sco) 72 67, S Kjeldsen (Den) 69 70, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 71 68
140 P Harrington (Irl) 67 73, L Donald  (Eng) 70 70
141 M Ford (Eng) 70 71
142 R Fowler  (USA) 71 71, B Dredge (Wal) 72 70, J Parry (Eng) 72 70,
143 A Wall (Eng) 72 71, M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 71 72, R McEvoy  (Eng) 71 72, A Hansen (Den) 70 73, M Kieffer (Ger) 67 76, R Gonzalez (Arg) 76 67,
144 E Els (RSA) 71 73, R Green (Aus) 72 72, E Grillo (Arg) 69 75, S Hansen (Den) 68 76, N Fasth (Swe) 71 73, M Carlsson  (Swe) 72 72, A Sullivan (Eng) 74 70, F Molinari (Ita) 71 73, T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 70 74, J Roos (RSA) 75 69, M Jiménez (Esp) 72 72
145 P McGinley (Irl) 72 73, L Slattery (Eng) 72 73, R Fisher (Eng) 74 71, F Aguilar (Chi) 74 71, D Willett  (Eng) 69 76, T Aiken (RSA) 73 72, T Lewis (Eng) 74 71, S Jamieson  (Sco) 73 72, S Benson (Eng) 74 71
146 R Wattel  (Fra) 74 72, M Fraser (Aus) 73 73, B An (Kor) 75 71, P Uihlein  (USA) 72 74, S Lowry  (Irl) 72 74, S Webster (Eng) 72 74, L Westwood (Eng) 74 72, T Jaidee (Tha) 72 74, E Pepperell (Eng) 74 72, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 71 75, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 73 73, A Dodt (Aus) 73 73, F Zanotti (Par) 72 74, M Tullo (Chi) 74 72, R Karlberg  (Swe) 70 76, J Kruger (RSA) 73 73
147 G Bourdy (Fra) 73 74, B Hebert  (Fra) 75 72, J Barnes (Eng) 75 72, D Clarke (Nir) 75 72, R Bland Eng) 75 72, M Nixon (Eng) 77 70, J Van Zyl (RSA) 73 74, S Hend (Aus) 73 74, M Foster (Eng) 77 70, G McDowell  (Nir) 72 75, M Lampert (Ger) 76 71, S Thornton (Irl) 71 76, A Noren  (Swe) 73 74, D Fichardt (RSA) 76 71
MISSED THE CUT
148 O Fisher  (Eng) 73 75, R Rock (Eng) 75 73, P Edberg (Swe) 75 73, G Coetzee (RSA) 74 74, K Phelan (Irl) 74 74, M Kaymer (Ger) 79 69, S Gallacher (Sco) 75 73, A Levy (Fra) 70 78, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 74 74, D Howell (Eng) 77 71, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 73 75, W Ormsby (Aus) 75 73, J Hume (am) (Irl) 75 73
149 M Hoey  (Nir) 71 78, E Espana (Fra) 73 76, M Crespi  (Ita) 75 74, A Cañizares  (Esp) 77 72, A Lahiri (Ind) 73 76, D Drysdale (Sco) 73 76, C McNamara (Irl) 75 74, B Neil (am) (Sco) 73 76
150 D Mooney (Nir) 79 71, P Lawrie (Irl) 76 74, D Lipsky (USA) 76 74, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 75 75, G Stal  (Fra) 72 78, S Khan (Eng) 74 76, D Horsey (Eng) 72 78, R Karlsson (Swe) 72 78, J Quesne  (Fra) 74 76, G Moynihan (am) (Irl) 74 76, G Hurley (am) (Irl) 73 77
151 J Campillo (Esp) 73 78, S Dodd (Wal) 75 76, A Johnston (Eng) 76 75, M Lundberg (Swe) 75 76, R McIlroy  (Nir) 80 71, B Stow (Eng) 76 75, D Brooks (Eng) 79 72, G Maybin (Nir) 76 75, P Hanson (Swe) 74 77, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 76 75, M Warren (Sco) 75 76, P Maddy (Eng) 79 72, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 71 80, J Carlsson (Swe) 76 75, J Kelly (Irl) 74 77, T Olesen (Den) 80 71,
152 J Lara (Esp) 77 75, F Fritsch  (Ger) 72 80, R Finch  (Eng) 74 78, J Palmer (Eng) 75 77, E De La Riva  (Esp) 76 76, N O'Briain (Irl) 76 76, R Paratore (Ita) 73 79, M Manassero (Ita) 71 81, O Wilson (Eng) 80 72, M Ilonen  (Fin) 75 77, J Morrison  (Eng) 76 76, K Broberg (Swe) 78 74153 P Lawrie (Sco) 75 78, C Lloyd (Eng) 74 79, D McGrane (Irl) 79 74, B McGovern (Irl) 78 75, A Otaegui  (Esp) 78 75, R Whitson (Nir) 80 73,
154 S Garcia  (Esp) 75 79, M Siem  (Ger) 77 77, T Murray (Eng) 74 80, J Singh (Ind) 76 78, M Madsen  (Den) 74 80,
155 O Farr (Wal) 75 80,
156 S Kapur (Ind) 78 78, G Storm  (Eng) 79 77, P Larrazábal (Esp) 78 78,
157 S Hutsby  (Eng) 76 81, T Pieters  (Bel) 78 79,
158 V Dubuisson  (Fra) 74 84,
159 C Lee (Sco) 79 80,
160 H Otto (RSA) 74 86, M McDermott (Irl) 82 78,
163 J Moore  (USA) 77 86,
Retired - C Doak (Sco) 77 RT, R Jacquelin (Fra) 77 RT
Withdrew - S Dyson  (Eng) 80 WD, B Rumford (Aus) 77 WD

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Kirkcaldy man leads by two in Guadeloupe Open

Scott Stewart-Cation, 27, from Kirkcaldy is the two-shot leader in this week's Alps Tour event which is being played thousands of miles to the west of the Alps - the Guadeloupe Open in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean Sea.
The Fifer has had rounds of 67 and 70 for a five-under-par tally of 137, despite the heat - the temperature has been hovering around 32 degrees Centigrade so far.
John Henry from Clydebank and District is joint 21st on145 after rounds of 68 and 77.
Edinburgh's John Gallagher missed the cut by five shots with rounds of 77 and 76 for 153.
Stewart-Cation leads by two from Andrea Maestroni (Italy) (69-70).

Only 3 Scots make the EuroPro Tour cut and

 they are a long way behind leader

Only three Scots survived the cut after 36 holes of this week's PGA EuroPro Tour event, the Kerry Championship at Burhill Golf Club, Surrey.
Ross Cameron (72 for 145) is joint 22nd; Paul Shields (74 for 146) is joint 30th and Neil Fenwick made it on the limit mark with a 73 for 147.
Their chances of challenging for the £10,000 first prize are remote. Cameron, although best placed of the Scots qualifiers, is 10 shots behind the leader, Darren Wright (68-67 for 135).
Craig Lawrie, joint best Scot after a first-round 72, nosedived out of the tournament with a 79 for 151 - four shots too many.
Paul's older son had two triple bogeys on his card, a 6 at the par-3 eighth and a 7 at the par-4 10th.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
135 D Wright (Eng) 68 67
137 A Dunbar (Ire) 68 69
138 J Colegate (Eng) 68 70.

SCOTS' SCORES
145 R Cameron 73 72 (T22)
146 P Shields 72 74 (T31)
147 N Fenwick 74 73 (T31)

MISSED THE CUT (147 and better qualified)
148 C Sutherland 79 69
149 N Henderson 74 75, Z Saltman 73 76
151 C Lawrie 72 79
152 M Stewart 77 75, S Kiloh 80 72
153 C O'Neil 81 72, D Kay 76 77
154 L Saltman 76 78 
155 K Nicol 79 76, S Borrowman 80 75
156 J McColl 78 78
 

Three tie for victory in West Lothian pro-am

It was a player-jam at the top of the leaderboard in today's West Lothian Golf Club pro-am.
Gareth Wright (West Linton), Graham Fox (Clydeway Golf) and Christopher Currie (Caldwell) tied for first place with three-under-par rounds of 68 and earned £877 each.
Currie would count himself the unlucky loser of the trio. With three holes to play, the Caldwell man was five under par, needing "only" to par his way in for a 66 and a two-stroke victory.
Instead, Currie was anything but hot stuff with a bogey at the 16th, a birdie at the 17th but, alas, a double bogey 5 at the short 18th.
Fox's birdie at the 16th after parring every hole from the ninth put him into the top trio.
Gareth Wright rivalled Currie in the "ways to lose a tournament."
The Welshman, out in 33, bogeyed the short 15th and 17th for 35 home.
Gleneagles Scottish professional champion Chris Kelly led the West Lothian Ladies team to victory in the pro-am event with a 14-under-par score of 57. The team members and their handicaps were: 
Maureen Shanks (10), Joyce Clelland (20) and Gillian McNeill (13).

PRO SCORES
Par 71
68 G Wright (West Linton), G Fox (Clydeway Golf), C Currie (Caldwell).
69 P O'Hara (Clydeway Golf), G Brown (Montrose Links), S Gray (Hayston), M Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy), G McBain (Paul Lawrie GC).
70 C Ronald (Carluke)
71 S Morrison (Tain), R Arnott (Bishopbriggs), S Caig (Craig Golf), C Kelly (unatt), K Walker (unatt)
72 S McLaren (Blairgowrie), G Hutcheon (Paul lawrie GC), J Lomas (Caprington), P Robinson (Largs)
73 A Tait (Marriott Dalmahoy), G Law (Uphall), A Reid (West Lothian), N Huguet (Musselburgh), R Dixon (Renaissance).
74 A Marshall (Houston GR)
75 C Gordon (Edinburgh GC)
76 C Tierney  (Bishopbriggs)
77 J McGhee (Duddingston)
78 C Gillies (unatt)
80 G Hay (Nairn Dunbar).

Jack Harling leading Scots youth in Wales

Jack Harling (Banchory) is in joint 26th place at the end of the first round in the Welsh youths championship at Llandudno Maesdu Golf Club in North Wales.
Harling shot a two-over-par 74 which included four birdies and six bogeys.
Dominic Dougan (Airdrie) had three birdies in a 76 for a share of 51st place.
Cameron Campbell (St Andrews) had an 80 for a joint 79th place.
England's Christopher Handy leads by two shots with a five-under 67.
The leading 45 and ties after Saturday's 18 holes will go forward to Sunday's play.

Link to live scoring from Irish Open

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Richie Ramsay in the mix with a second-round 67 for 139

TOP 20 FINISH IN AUSTRIA BY ROBB

Banchory-based Chris Robb, last year's Scottish amateur champion, achieved a top 20 finish in this week's German PGA developmental tour event, the Haugschlag Open in Austria.

Playing out of Meldrum House Golf Club, Oldmeldrum, Robb, pictured, had rounds of 75, 67 and 69 for a five-under-par total of 211 for a joint 19th placing.

He had six birdies in his third round following a seven-birdie effort in his second round. 

The only British or Irish player ahead of him was Rory McNamara (Ireland) in joint 10th position on 207

Benjamin Rusch from Switzerland won with rounds of 70, 64 and 67 for 15-under-par 201.

HAUGSCHLAG OPEN

Haugschlag Golf Club, Austria

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 216 (3x72)

201 Benjamin Rusch (Swi) 70 64 67

202 Philipp Mejow (Ger) 69 67 66

SELECTED TOTALS

207 Rory McNamara (Ire) 72 68 67 (T10)

211 Chris Robb (Sco) 75 67 69 (T19).