Four Scots in top 10 of Open Grand Toulouse

Lost in France? Not O'Hara,

He's chasing Challenge

Tour maiden victory

From Paul Symes, Challenge Tour Press Officer
There are FOUR Scots in the top 10 as Steven O’Hara’s consistent season continued with a round of 70 which put the man from Motherwell in with a live chance of securing his maiden Challenge Tour title at the AGF-Allianz Golf Open Grand Toulouse.
O’Hara, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has yet to card a bogey in two days at Golf de Toulouse-Seilh in France, but a double bogey at the 13th hole after a lost ball marred an otherwise flawless round which took him to nine under par 135, one behind clubhouse leader Marco Soffietti of Italy.
Having already accrued €92,901 in earnings, O’Hara is virtually guaranteed his card on The 2009 European Tour. But with four of the six players currently above him in the Challenge Tour Rankings taking a break this week, O’Hara has sensed an opportunity to improve his standing.
He said: “I took a rest last week to recharge the batteries and only dropped one place in the Rankings, which was a nice surprise. So if I can pick up a decent cheque this week, it should push me up a few places.

"I’ve all but got my card back for next year but it’d still be nice to get that first win under my belt, because I’ve got into some good positions this season and then fell away. If I can get the win this week there’s no reason why I shouldn’t go for the Number 1 spot, which would be a big honour.”

Three other Scots are bracketed in eighth place on 137 - Richie Ramsay from Aberdeen, Anstruther's George Murray and Windyhill's Andrew McArthur, like Murray a former Scottish amateur match-play champion.
Marco Soffietti, currently 92nd in the Rankings, would need to secure victory this weekend if he is to harbour realistic hopes of qualifying for the season-ending Apulia San Domenico Grand Final and graduating to the European Tour, and eight birdies in a round of 65 did the Italian’s chances no harm at all.

Level par golf was not good enough to beat the cut which fell at one-under 143.

SECOND ROUND TOTALS

Par 144 (2 x 72)

134 M Soffietti (Ita) 69 65.
135 M Ruiz (Par) 66 69, S O'Hara (Sco) 65 70, D Nouailhac (Fra) 65 70, M Rodriguez (Arg) 70 65.
136 R Coles (Eng) 64 72, T Remkes (Ned) 67 69.
137 J Huldahl (Den) 68 69, R Ramsay (Sco) 67 70, G Murray (Sco) 65 72, A McArthur (Sco) 69 68.
138 J Grillon (Fra) 68 70, M Higley (Eng) 69 69, F Calmels (Fra) 69 69, M Morris (Eng) 67 71, R Steiner (Aut) 68 70.
139 E Johansen (Nor) 68 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 68, I Garbutt (Eng) 70 69, B Lecuona (Fra) 69 70, J Morgan (Eng) 66 73, R McEvoy (Eng) 69 70.
140 R De Sousa (Sui) 66 74, T Feyrsinger (Aut) 67 73, T Karjalainen (Fin) 68 72, J Morrison (Eng) 69 71, T Dykes (Wal) 69 71, D Horsey (Eng) 71 69, J Little (Eng) 72 68, M Hill (Fra) 69 71, C Gane (Eng) 72 68, J Legarrea (Esp) 72 68, A Tadini (Ita) 71 69.
141 G Emerson (Eng) 71 70; B Miarka (Ger) 70 71; M Cort (Eng) 70 71; I Giner (Esp) 70 71; A Bernadet (Fra) 72 69; C Brazillier (Fra) 68 73; G Clark (Eng) 71 70; G Clark (Eng) 68 73.
142 N Vanhootegem (Bel) 74 68; B Wiesberger (Aut) 72 70; J Cixous (Fra) 75 67; R Kakko (Fin) 69 73; C Del Moral (Esp) 72 70; A Snobeck (Fra) 70 72; B Mason (Eng) 72 70; A Högberg (Swe) 70 72; G Boyd (Eng) 71 71; S Robinson (Eng) 68 74; I Van Weerelt (Ned) 68 74; F Widmark (Swe) 69 73; C Moriarty (Irl) 70 72; M Hoey (Nir) 71 71; G Davies (Eng) 71 71; S Delagrange (Fra) 71 71.
143 G Molteni (Ita) 74 69; A Hansen (Den) 70 73; L Gagli (Ita) 72 71; F Zanotti (Par) 72 71; A Tampion (Aus) 73 70; B Pettersson (Swe) 70 73; M McGeady (Irl) 70 73; B Bozio (Fra) 70 73; M King (Eng) 70 73; L Bond (Wal) 69 74; G Lockerbie (Eng) 74 69.

MISSED THE CUT
144 F Praegant (Aut) 76 68; C Nilsson (Swe) 71 73; O Whiteley (Eng) 68 76; M Tullo (Chi) 73 71; K Sullivan (Wal) 70 74; C Russo (Fra) 72 72; T Cruz (Por) 71 73.
145 S Luna (Esp) 74 71; M Eliasson (Swe) 75 70; J Xanthopoulos (Fra) 74 71; P Relecom (Bel) 75 70; F Serghini (Mar) 77 68; J Billot (Fra) 73 72; T Raillard (Fra) 73 72; P Rowe (Eng) 72 73; E Dubois (am) (Fra) 70 75.
146 A Butterfield (Eng) 74 72; O David (Fra) 75 71; J Haeggman (Swe) 72 74; M Reale (Ita) 73 73; A Ahokas (Fin) 76 70; S Son-Houi (Fra) 72 74.
147 S Jeppesen (Swe) 70 77; A Gee (Eng) 75 72; E Chamaulte (Fra) 76 71.
148 R Russell (Sco) 78 70; B Evans (Eng) 72 76; T Milford (Eng) 71 77; D Perrier (Fra) 69 79;
149 P Kaensche (Nor) 75 74; J Quesne (Fra) 70 79; N Taille (Fra) 72 77; L Dodd (Eng) 73 76; R Thuillier (am) (Fra) 68 81.
150 R Treis (Ger) 75 75.
151 J De Polo (Fra) 77 74; A Bossert (Sui) 73 78; A Bruschi (Ita) 74 77.
152 B Coathalem (Fra) 80 72; C Menut (Fra) 74 78; J Foret (Fra) 73 79; R Santos (Por) 73 79; B Grace (RSA) 77 75; A Mandonnet (Fra) 77 75.
153 G Plumet (Fra) 78 75.
154 R Bland (Eng) 80 74.
155 J Mellor (Eng) 78 77.
156 L Salgado (Fra) 81 75; L Lizanec (Cze) 77 79.
157 M Dieu (Fra) 75 82.
161 M Stelmasiak (Pol) 80 81.
Retired: S Davis (Eng) 77 -.