Sam Walker shares halfway lead at Madeira Islands Open

Sam Walker will go into the weekend of the Madeira Islands Open in a share of the lead as he hunts for his maiden European Tour title.

England's Walker and Pontus Widegren of Sweden both fired six-under 66s on day two and ended the day out in front on 11 under par at the halfway stage, one ahead of overnight leader Antonio Hortal.

Walker and Widegren were among the early starters on Friday, but their scores held up despite conditions being perfect for the later groups under sunny skies with lighter breezes on the Portuguese archipelago island.

Walker, out in the very first group off the tenth tee, opened with back-to-back birdies before picking up another at the 13th to reach the turn in three under, and he came home in the same number of blows courtesy of an eagle two at the sixth and a fourth birdie of the day the par-five seventh to card an impressive bogey-free round.

“It was tough out there,” Walker said. “But if you played with the wind a little bit you’d create some chances and that’s what I did. I play with a fade so I can use the wind to my advantage a little more than other people. It was really steady. I didn’t make anything after the turn even though I was playing lovely.

"At the sixth I went over the corner with a driver and came up just short of the green, then I chipped in. At the seventh I was up in two and made a nice two-putt birdie and I just missed a putt at nine for birdie so it could have been better. It could have been better yesterday too but this is Madeira, it’s never easy here.”

European Tour Golf

Widegren, who posted his best Challenge Tour finish of the season with a share of fifth in France last week, added: “I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend. I got a taste of being in the final few groups last week and it’s a lot of fun seeing your name on the boards and chasing that top spot, so I’m excited."

Hortal, meanwhile, carded three birdies and two bogeys in a one-under 71, while Scotland's Scott Henry, runner up here last year after losing out to Daniel Brooks in a play-off, slipped three behind the leaders after dropping four shots over his final four holes.