Tapio Pulkkanen claims halfway lead at Joburg Open
Saturday 9 December 2017 17:16, UK
Tapio Pulkkanen will take a one-shot lead into the weekend of the Joburg Open as Shubhankar Sharma became the latest player to flirt with a 59 in a European Tour event.
Pulkkanen made a stunning start to his second round and went on to post a flawless eight-under 64 on the Firethorn Course at Randpark GC, lifting him to the top of the leaderboard on 14 under par.
The Finn, who is playing his first full season on the European Tour having topped the Road to Oman rankings on the Challenge Tour last season, had opened with a 65 at the Bushwillow course and soon raced to 12 under when he started with six consecutive birdies.
Pulkkanen's run came to an end with a par at the seventh, but he got back on the birdie trail at 11 and 12 although he failed to add to his tally over the final six holes as he made it to the halfway stage without a single bogey on his card.
"I'm really happy with my game," said Pulkkanen. "I've been driving the ball really well, especially today, and it's a fantastic feeling. It was a good start to my round with six birdies in a row. The putter has been really hot, I practised my aiming a little before the tournament and it's been much better this week.
"Leading a European Tour event so early on in my season sounds more magnificent than it really is. It's a similar feeling to the Challenge Tour actually, so I'm comfortable."
The big mover on the second day was Sharma, who propelled himself 56 places up the leaderboard with a stunning 61 on the Bushwillow layout, reeling off 10 birdies including four in five holes on the front nine and another five after the turn.
The young Indian, playing only his 10th European Tour event, needed to birdie each of the last three holes to break 60 but managed only one at the 17th as he closed on 13 under.
Pulkkanen's fellow Finn, Mikko Korhonen, fired a 65 to earn a share of third with Erik Van Rooyen (66), while Daniel Brooks and Steven Brown are the leading British challengers as they ended the second day four adrift of the lead.
Brooks began with three birdies in four holes and went on to card a 67, while Brown returned a faultless seven-under 65 as the pair climbed one shot ahead of fellow Englishmen James Morrison and Charlie Ford, who was another to threaten a sub-60 round.
Ford raced to the turn in 31 and then made two eagles in three holes either side of another birdie which got him to 10 under for his round with four to play, but he then bogeyed 16 and 17 and had to settle for a 64.
