Matthias Schwab leads Made in Denmark as Matt Wallace drops six shots off the pace
Friday 24 May 2019 21:38, UK
Matt Wallace's hopes of successfully defending his Made in Denmark title took a hit on day two as Matthias Schwab defied the elements to claim the halfway lead in Farso.
Schwab shone in the cold, wet and windy conditions to card a superb, bogey-free 66 which earned him a one-stroke advantage over Alejandro Canizares and Romain Langasque, while Wallace slipped six shots off the pace after a disappointing 73.
Austrian Schwab broke free of the logjam at the top of the leaderboard when he capped an excellent day with his fifth birdie on his final hole, getting him to eight under as he seeks his first European Tour win in just his 39th start since turning professional.
"It was very difficult, especially early on, but it's always great to have a bogey-free day," said Schwab, who has missed the cut only twice in his 10 starts this season, with two top-10 finishes in Hong Kong and Morocco.
"I didn't really do anything different from any other day. I was very in the zone. It was very cold, rainy, windy, so I was just trying to stay warm. Maybe I didn't really worry too much about my game and it worked out well."
Langasque, the 2015 Amateur Championship winner, took advantage of the better afternoon conditions playing in the final group of the day, the Frenchman also carding five birdies including three in a row on the back-nine as he matched Schwab's 66 to join Canizares (69) in a share of second.
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Scottish left-hander Robert MacIntyre continued the form he showed in his runner-up finish at the British Masters as a 70 kept him in contention on five under along with Bernd Wiesberger and Alvaro Quiros.
Wiesberger, who was sidelined for seven months last year due to a wrist injury, made four birdies in a 69 that was blighted only by a double-bogey at the 10th, while veteran Spaniard Quiros fired an impressive 67 which included three straight birdies in an outward 32.
Former British Masters champion Paul Dunne (70) is among a group of four players on four under, while Wallace is a further two strokes adrift after a tough day for the defending champion.
Wallace, who arrived in Denmark on the back of his first top-three finish in a major at the PGA Championship, slipped to one under when he followed a double-bogey seven at the fifth with another dropped shot at the next.
But the world No 25 steadied himself with a good run of pars and finally picked up his first birdie of the day at the 14th before closing on two under and still within striking distance of the leader.
Sebastian Soderberg missed the cut but provided the highlight of the round when he emulated Martin Simonsen's first-day hole-in-one at the 16th, holing out with a perfect 100-yard wedge to record the 14th ace on the European Tour this season.
But there was disappointment for the home fans with the two highest-ranked Danes, Lucas Bjerregaard and Ryder Cup star Thorbjorn Olesen, both failing to make it to the weekend.
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