Friday 21 October 2016 19:43, UK
Andy Sullivan roared into a share of the halfway lead at the Portugal Masters after firing a sensational 61 in the second round in Vilamoura.
Sullivan blitzed the Victoria Club de Golfe for 10 birdies and kept a bogey off his card as he joined overnight-leader Marc Warren at the top of the leaderboard on 14 under par.
The defending champion was outside of the top 20 after opening with "only" a 67 but, after Warren had set the early clubhouse target, Sullivan began to reel in the Scot with four birdies in five holes from the second.
A run of three pars effectively took a 59 out of the equation, but Sullivan did give himself a chance with five birdies in six holes after the turn before another par at 16 ended his shot at becoming the first player to break 60 on the European Tour.
The Ryder Cup star added one further birdie at 17, and he narrowly missed out on his seventh three of the back nine at the last as he soaked up the applause of his huge travelling army of supporters.
"I knew I needed to go low today to get close to the leaders, so to go out there and shoot that score is absolutely fantastic," said Sullivan, who is without a win since lifting the Portugal Masters title at the same venue 12 months ago.
"I had thoughts of 59 coming down the stretch there, but it wasn't to be. But it's still fantastic to being on top of the leaderboard and give myself a chance going into the weekend.
"The game has felt good for a long time - the putter's just been a bit cold. But today I holed a couple of good putts out there to get the momentum going. It only takes a couple of putts to go in, then you start seeing it go in all the time.
"I knew if I could get off to a quick start, I could get my supporters on my side and really use them to build the momentum - and it worked. They were cheering me on the whole way round. Every time they turn up I seem to play well. They're amazing, and I can't thank them enough for their support."
Warren added a 65 to his opening 63 with seven birdies, although he bogeyed the seventh for the second day running, while Padraig Harrington rolled back the years as he surged into a share of third place one behind the leaders.
The three-time major champion began his round with four birdies in five holes, and he added another five after the turn with his only blemish coming at the 12th, where he ran up a disappointing six.
Harrington's superb 63 lifted him to 13 under alongside Sweden's Jens Fahrbring, who carded a nine-birdie 64, while American David Lipsky returned a 66 to move within two of the lead.
Mikko Korhonen, currently 116th in the Race to Dubai, put himself in an excellent position to retain his card for next season, adding a 67 to his opening 64 to take him into the weekend just three strokes off the pace.
Warren's fellow Scots Richie Ramsay and Paul Lawrie also impressed on day two, with Ramsay emulating Sullivan's stunning 61 thanks to six birdies in seven holes on the front nine, while Lawrie is also on 10 under after a pair of 66s.
Sullivan's Ryder Cup team-mate Thomas Pieters survived the halfway cut with nothing to spare on four under, but Eddie Pepperell now looks likely to be heading to Qualifying School after a disastrous second round.
Pepperell currently occupies the 110th and final place for playing rights for next season, and he had high hopes breaching the top 100 after a first-round 64. But the popular Englishman could not build on an opening birdie at the 10th as he crashed out with a 76 - a double-bogey at his final hole summing up his mood.
