Whitnell posted a second-round 61 to move six ahead of Yannik Paul, with Scotland's Richie Ramsay in third spot; watch the Scandinavian Mixed - where male and female golfers compete on the same course for the same prize - on Saturday from midday on Sky Sports Golf
Friday 9 June 2023 19:15, UK
Dale Whitnell produced a brilliant birdie burst and threatened a ’59 round’ on his way to opening up a six-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Scandinavian Mixed.
Whitnell fired 11 birdies in a sensational second-round 61 to set the course record at Ullna Golf and Country Club, where 78 men and 78 women compete on the same venue for one prize fund and one trophy.
The world No 308 narrowly missed out on becoming the second player in DP World Tour history to card a sub-60 round but moved to 17 under, giving him a commanding advantage over closest challenger and Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul heading into the weekend.
Whitnell drained a 30-footer at the first and fired his tee shot at the par-three next to inside five feet, before two-putting from 30 feet at the par-five third to register a third consecutive birdie.
The Englishman's fast start briefly halted when he failed to take advantage of the par-five fourth, only for him to birdie three of his next four holes on his way to reaching the turn in 30.
Whitnell started his back nine with successive birdies and got up and down from the back of the 12th green to add another to go nine under for his round, raising hopes of becoming the first player since Oliver Fisher at the 2018 Portugal Masters to break 60 on the DP World Tour.
A tap-in birdie at the par-five 15th was followed by pars over the next two holes, ending any chance of a '59 round', although Whitnell responded by almost holing his approach into the par-four last to set up a closing birdie and pull further clear.
"It was pretty good [on Friday]," Whitnell said. "Obviously [Thursday] was nice, I had a bit of momentum after holing my last shot and I took it into [Friday]. I played nicely, hit the right shots at the right time, took my medicine if I needed to if I wasn't in the right positions and holed a few putts which helped.
"I just want to emulate what I've done the first two days. Obviously it would be pretty impressive to do that but I'll just keep the same mindset. The golf course is gettable if you give it a bit of discipline, if you try and bite off a bit more then you can chew you will get punished so I've just got to keep that in mind going into the weekend."
Paul posted a four-under 68 to sit second ahead of Scotland's Richie Ramsay, who jumped to 10 under after a six-under 66, while Soren Kjeldsen and Justin Walters carded second-round 70s to sit tied-fourth and 10 strokes off the lead.
Alice Hewson and Emma Grechi are the leading female players, sitting in the group tied-12th on five under, while Alex Noren - the highest-ranked player in the field - made it through to the week after a second-round 68.
Watch the Scandinavian Mixed throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Saturday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf.
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