AMERICAN GUTHRIE LEADS BMW MASTERS BY FOUR IN CHINA

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Luke Guthrie will take a four-shot lead into the weekend of the BMW Masters presented by SRE Group after carding a battling round of 71 on another windy day in Shanghai. 

The young American, pictured left, who is playing his first European Tour event, was unable to reproduce the heroics of his first day, when he posted a round of 65, but still retains a healthy advantage over his nearest rivals after mixing five birdies with four bogeys to move to eight under par.

The chasing pack is led by the English duo of Paul Casey and Simon Dyson, who would have closed the gap on Guthrie were it not for a double bogey on the finishing hole.

Guthrie himself dropped a shot at the last, but was nonetheless pleased with a display which puts him in sight of a place at next week’s money-spinning WGC-HSBC Champions – the second of four tournaments which comprise the Final Series.

He said: “It was another difficult day out there. Anything in the red was a good number today, and I was able to manage a 71. I made a few more mistakes than yesterday, which was a bit disappointing. 

“It’s never fun to bogey the last hole, but it’s playing tough. And I hit a lot of good shots, so there are lot of things to build on. 

“I was in good form coming here. I’ve been hitting it really well, and I kind of felt the trend going in the right direction.  Plus it helps that the putts are going in. I managed a few timely up-and-downs to keep the round going, and here I am with a four-shot lead. But there are 36 holes left, so still plenty of golf to be played yet.”

Dyson is among six players sharing second on four under, with Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez posting the lowest round of the day – a 67 – which included six birdies and a solitary bogey on the 18th.

Scott Jamieson’s only bogey of the day also came on the 18th as he signed for a round of 68, whilst his fellow Scot Craig Lee holed out from 188 yards on the 16th hole for an eagle in his round of 70.

Irish Open winner Casey, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and Dyson all posted rounds of 70 for the second day in succession to complete the six-way tie for second place, with Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello alone in eighth place on three under par.

Former World Number Ones Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy are seven shots off the pace on one under par, with Race to Dubai leader Henrik Stenson of Sweden two over par after carding a round of 74.

Stenson currently holds a lead of €425,573 over Graeme McDowell in The Race to Dubai, but the Northern Irishman was unable to capitalise on the Swede’s slip-up after shooting a round of 74 to fall back to level par at the midway stage of the US$7million showpiece at Lake Malaren Golf Club.      

 

SECOND-ROUND SCOREBOARD

Par 144 (2x72)

 136 L Guthrie (USA) 65 71

140 P Casey  (Eng) 70 70, S Dyson  (Eng) 70 70, R Gonzalez (Arg) 73 67, C Lee (Sco) 70 70, S Jamieson  (Sco) 72 68, T Jaidee (Tha) 70 70

141 R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 73 68

142 J Daly (USA) 68 74, G Fernandez-Castaño  (Esp) 71 71, B Rumford (Aus) 73 69

143 M Fraser (Aus) 73 70, P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 73, G Bourdy (Fra) 70 73, F Molinari (Ita) 72 71, I Poulter (Eng) 74 69, R McIlroy  (Nir) 71 72, L Westwood (Eng) 72 71,

144 B Wiesberger  (Aut) 75 69, P Harrington (Irl) 72 72, D Horsey (Eng) 72 72, M Kieffer (Ger) 72 72, P Uihlein  (USA) 69 75, G McDowell  (Nir) 70 74,

145 T Olesen (Den) 75 70, T Björn (Den) 73 72, R Fisher (Eng) 75 70,

146 M Griffin (Aus) 74 72, G Mulroy (RSA) 74 72, D Willett  (Eng) 74 72, R Sterne  (RSA) 74 72, H Stenson (Swe) 72 74, M Kaymer (Ger) 75 71,

147 P Lawrie (Sco) 74 73, E De La Riva  (Esp) 75 72, S Kjeldsen (Den) 76 71, P Hanson (Swe) 79 68, L Donald  (Eng) 75 72,

148 B Grace  (RSA) 79 69, S Gallacher (Sco) 77 71, R Jacquelin (Fra) 76 72, P McGinley (Irl) 77 71, H Mu (Chn) 75 73,

149 T Fleetwood  (Eng) 72 77, D Fichardt (RSA) 74 75, M Jiménez (Esp) 74 75, W Ashun (Chn) 73 76, F Aguilar (Chi) 77 72, J Donaldson (Wal) 79 70, S Lowry  (Irl) 78 71

150 A Noren  (Swe) 74 76, L Hao-Tong (Chn) 78 72, L Wen-Chong (Chn) 75 75, D Howell (Eng) 76 74, H Wen-Yi (Chn) 71 79, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 74 76, A Cañizares  (Esp) 75 75, J Quesne  (Fra) 73 77, M Warren (Sco) 73 77, T Aiken (RSA) 80 70, M Ilonen  (Fin) 80 70

151 S Dong (Chn) 76 75, L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 74 77,

152 S Webster (Eng) 79 73, Z Lian-Wei (Chn) 78 74, G Coetzee (RSA) 78 74, M Siem  (Ger) 81 71

153 Z Xin-Jun (Chn) 76 77, R Santos  (Por) 77 76, V Dubuisson  (Fra) 78 75, S Khan (Eng) 77 76

154 L Xin-Yang (Chn) 77 77

155 L Yan-Wei (Chn) 78 77

156 H Shao-Cai (Chn) 83 73, H Ming-Jie (Chn) 81 75

162 C Wood  (Eng) 79 83

163 L Xuen-Cheng (Chn) 85 78

 ** J Luiten (Ned) RT  0,

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS