Bernd Wiesberger holds one-shot lead halfway through KLM Open
Sunday 11 September 2016 00:56, UK
Bernd Wiesberger bounced back from a poor start to his second round as a barrage of birdies earned him the halfway lead at the KLM Open in Holland.
Wiesberger bogeyed two of the first three holes at The Dutch in Spijk, but he responded with three consecutive birdies and went on to match his opening 66 and edge one shot clear of the field on 10 under par.
English veteran Mark Foster boosted his chances of retaining his European Tour card with a faultless five-birdie 66 that lifted him into a share of second with home favourite Joost Luiten, while Ryder Cup rookie Chris Wood avoided a missed cut with a strong finish to his 68.
Wiesberger has missed only one cut outside of the majors this season although he has just two top-10 finishes to show for his efforts, but he put himself on course for a decent cheque as he kept the mistakes off his card following his erratic opening six holes.
A birdie at nine capped an outward 33, and he picked up three shots in five holes from the 11th before parring safely in to take the clubhouse lead.
He had company at the top of the leaderboard late in the day when Nino Bertasio, playing the final group out, birdied 16 and 17 only to make a mess of the par-five last and close with a scrappy six.
But Luiten was the star of the day as far as the locals were concerned, storming to nine under with a flawless 64 and completing 36 holes without a single blemish.
The 30-year-old, who has enjoyed another consistent campaign with eight top 10s helping him to 18th in the Race to Dubai, followed five opening pars with three straight birdies and, after further gains at 11 and 12, he also birdied two of the last three to the delight of the sizeable galleries.
"It was special out there," Luiten told the European Tour. "It was very busy from the beginning, it was a great day with the weather and the golf course is unbelievable so I'm very happy with a 64.
"It's great to feel the crowd behind you. The atmosphere out there was great, not only for me but for my playing partners, and that is what makes it so much fun to play in Holland."
Foster, who is languishing at 156th in the Race to Dubai, birdied three of the first six holes and added two more after the turn in a solid day's work, and he heads a strong English presence near the top of the leaderboard.
Tommy Fleetwood (67) and overnight leader Ben Evans (69) are just two shots adrift of Wiesberger heading into the weekend, with former BMW PGA champion Simon Khan, four-time European Tour winner David Horsey nicely placed on seven under along with Daniel Gavins.
Former Ryder Cup star Ross Fisher is another of 11 English players in the top 19 after he emulated the bogey-free 66 of Foster, while Wood gave European captain Darren Clarke some encouragement with a battling display over the second half of his round.
Wood struggled to an opening 72 and, after starting on the 10th tee, he mixed three birdies with as many bogeys on the back nine to remain outside the cut mark on one over par.
But the Bristolian steadied the ship with birdies at the second and fourth, and he added another at the eighth to make it safely in for the weekend with a shot to spare.