Bezuidenhout leads by two at Made in Denmark tournament

Christiaan Bezuidenhout was delighted to turn his consistency into contention as he opened up a two-shot lead heading into the weekend at the Made in Denmark tournament.
The Qualifying School graduate has made 15 out of 20 cuts this season but recorded just two top 20s to sit 107th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
A second-round 65 at Silkeborg Ry Golf Club moved him to 13 under and saw him beat his own 36-hole best on the European Tour by six shots, with England's Lee Westwood and Jonathan Thomson his nearest challengers.
Another Englishman in Sam Horsfield was then at ten under, a shot clear of countryman Matthew Baldwin and Belgian Thomas Detry.
In the race to take the final automatic spot in the Ryder Cup Team, Eddie Pepperell and Matthew Fitzpatrick were facing an uphill battle to claim the victory they need to potentially overhaul local hero Thorbjørn Olesen.
 The biggest 36-hole deficit made up by a winner this season was nine shots by Alex Noren at the HNA Open de France, and Fitzpatrick will have to match that after a second-round 68 moved him to four under.
Pepperell was one shot better off after a 69, with Olesen just making it into the weekend on the cut line at two under after a 69 of his own.
If Fitzpatrick were to win, a tie for seventh with one other or better would see Olesen keep the final place, while a top 12 from the Dane would keep a victorious Pepperell at bay.
Bezuidenhout made his first impression on the European Tour in 2016 when he finished second in just his fourth event at the BMW SA Open hosted by City Ekurhuleni.
That remains his only top ten so far but with a renewed sense of confidence and a new driver in the bag, he feels he is getting closer to establishing himself on Tour.
“It’s been great to feel some confidence coming back into my game and hopefully I can keep going from here because I have some work to do to keep my European Tour card,” he said. “If I keep playing the way I have been for the last few days then I am hopeful that I can get the results.
“I have actually been playing well but either just missing cuts or not making good progress at the weekend to kick on and get better results but hopefully this good play will continue from here.
“I made a driver change last week as I was struggling with the driver and that has been all the difference.”
Ryder Cup Vice Captain Westwood is looking for a 24th European Tour win in a 14th different country as he plays in Denmark for the first time, while rookie Thomson is looking to continue a late season surge to keep his card.
Bezuidenhout moved into a share of the lead with birdies on the fourth and sixth before dropping a first shot of the week on the eighth but he bounced back in style, birdieing the ninth and tenth to take top spot on his own.
Further gains on the 11th and 12th made it four in a row and Bezuidenhout led by three before another birdie on the 14th maintained his advantage. A 15-footer on the 16th extended the lead to four and Horsfield was the first man to set about reeling him in in the afternoon.
He started with three birdies but bogeyed the 13th before two more birdies had him at nine under. A second bogey of the day on the 18th stalled his progress but further gains on the second and eighth got him to ten under.
Overnight leader Thomson raced to 11 under with birdies on the tenth, 11th and 14th but slipped back with bogeys at the 18th and second. A birdie on the seventh got him back to double figures and a 20-footer on the ninth had him back at 11 under alongside Westwood.
After making a hat-trick of birdies from the third, the 45 year old got a fortunate bounce off a tree on the tenth and made the most of it, following up by birdieing the par five 11th, picking up another shot at the driveable par four 12th and holing an 18-footer on the 16th.
Detry carded a 68 with Baldwin recording a 69 to sit a shot ahead of England's Matt Wallace and American Hunter Stewart.
There were then 12 players at seven under including 2016 champion Thomas Pieters and local favourites Lucas Bjerregaard and Nicolai Tinning

Second round scores:

par 144 (2x72)

131 C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 66 65;

133 J Thomson  (Eng) 64 69; L Westwood (Eng) 68 65;

134 S Horsfield (Eng) 67 67;

135 T Detry  (Bel) 67 68; M Baldwin (Eng) 66 69;

136 M Wallace (Eng) 68 68; H Stewart (USA) 66 70;

137 A Otaegui  (Esp) 70 67; T Pieters  (Bel) 69 68; N Tinning (Den) 69 68; L Bjerregaard  (Den) 66 71; E Van Rooyen (RSA) 67 70; F Zanotti (Par) 69 68; B Rumford (Aus) 66 71; C Hanson (Eng) 70 67; R Rock (Eng) 67 70; C Shinkwin (Eng) 71 66; P Khongwatmai (Tha) 68 69; R Sterne  (RSA) 71 66;

138 R Evans  (Eng) 67 71; P Angles  (Esp) 72 66; P Peterson (USA) 71 67; R McEvoy  (Eng) 67 71; A Wu (Chn) 70 68; S Brown (Eng) 70 68; D Drysdale (Sco) 68 70; J Janewattananond (Tha) 67 71; M Southgate  (Eng) 68 70; T Lewis (Eng) 70 68;

139 S Kjeldsen (Den) 73 66; J Geary  (Nzl) 66 73; E Pepperell (Eng) 70 69; A Chesters  (Eng) 69 70; B Dredge (Wal) 71 68; T Bjørn (Den) 70 69;

140 J Smith (Eng) 70 70; S Fernandez  (Esp) 67 73; A Olsen  (Nor) 72 68; J Walters (RSA) 70 70; J Lagergren (Swe) 68 72; P Oriol (Esp) 68 72; R Bland (Eng) 72 68; R Ramsay  (Sco) 69 71; N Colsaerts  (Bel) 68 72; J Scrivener (Aus) 71 69; M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 72 68;

141 D Horsey (Eng) 73 68; S Gallacher (Sco) 72 69; J Donaldson (Wal) 67 74; F Dreier (Den) 72 69; G Stal  (Fra) 74 67; N Cullen (Aus) 70 71; M Millar (Aus) 72 69;
142 T Aiken (RSA) 72 70; J Hansen  (Den) 72 70; J Morrison  (Eng) 69 73; O Fisher  (Eng) 71 71; O Farr (Wal) 75 67; R Gouveia (Por) 71 71; N Møller  (Den) 69 73; T Olesen (Den) 73 69; H Tanihara (Jpn) 71 71; S Vincent (Zim) 69 73; M Fraser (Aus) 74 68; R Wattel  (Fra) 73 69; C Ford (Eng) 72 70; J Choi (Kor) 73 69; M Nixon (Eng) 73 69; M Kinhult (Swe) 68 74; H Porteous (RSA) 70 72; P Widegren  (Swe) 69 73; A Saddier (Fra) 71 71

MISSED THE CUT
143 G Bourdy (Fra) 71 72; L Canter (Eng) 71 72; J Winther (Den) 73 70; C Koepka (USA) 70 73; Y Miyazato (Jpn) 72 71; T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 72 71; L Jensen (Den) 71 72; S Heisele (Ger) 74 69; E Molinari  (Ita) 71 72; M Tullo (Chi) 72 71; D Brooks (Eng) 72 71; A Bland (Aus) 71 72; M Calderon (Chi) 71 72; C Blomstrand (Swe) 72 71; M Warren (Sco) 70 73; N Højgaard (am) (Den) 69 74;
144 A Sandhu (India) 75 69; M Siem  (Ger) 74 70; G Havret  (Fra) 69 75; M Armitage (Eng) 73 71; M Schwab  (Aut) 71 73; S Khan (Eng) 73 71; J Kruyswijk (RSA) 73 71; J Norris (Aus) 68 76; S Gros (Fra) 74 70; D Ghim (USA) 73 71; G Bhullar (Ind) 73 71; F Aguilar (Chile) 72 72; D Willett  (Eng) 69 75; D Burmester (RSA) 75 69; D Boonma (Tha) 75 69;
145 M Lundberg (Swe) 76 69; C Sordet  (Fra) 74 71; P Hanson (Swe) 72 73; S Webster (Eng) 72 73; D Lipsky (USA) 72 73; D Howell (Eng) 76 69; H Sturehed (Swe) 70 75; A Connelly (Can) 72 73;
146 A Hansen (Den) 73 73; J Guerrier  (Fra) 73 73; A Cañizares  (Esp) 75 71; J Wang (Kor) 71 75; S Chawrasia (India) 74 72; S Lee (SKor) 76 70; R Højgaard (am) (Den) 75 71;

147 Z Lombard  (RSA) 76 71; D Im (USA) 75 72; M Madsen  (Den) 76 71; M Jonzon (Swe) 74 73; J Daly (USA) 76 71; J Dantorp (Swe) 73 74; J Blixt  (Swe) 75 72; L Herbert (Aus) 74 73;

148 R Karlsson (Swe) 72 76; T Nørret (Den) 73 75; G Green  (Mas) 74 74; S Brazel (Aus) 72 76; L Slattery (Eng) 76 72; J Munro (Aus) 79 69;

149 A Dodt (Aus) 79 70; R Green (Aus) 74 75; M Kaymer (Ger) 73 76; F Fritsch  (Ger) 77 72;

150 M Foster (Eng) 76 74

151 C Syme  (Sco) 77 74; R Cho (SKor) 74 77; J Van Zyl (RSA) 78 73;

154 S Hend (Aus) 79 75; J Glennemo (Swe) 76 78;

** B Neil (Sco) 71 WD; P Gal  (Cze) 84 WD; Ó Serna (Mex) 74 RT; B Hafthorsson (Iceland) 78 RT;

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