Open de France: Former Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts shares halfway lead
Nicolas Colsaerts gave himself a enormous lift in his bid to keep his European Tour card once he made a share of the halfway lead.
Colsaerts arrived in Le Golf National ranked 114th about the Rush to Dubai, four locations beyond the cut-off mark to keep whole playing rights for next season, with this weeks event and following weeks Portugal Experts staying in the 2019 effort.
But the Belgian defied the strain along with the cool conditions within the Albatross course to fire a high quality 66 and reach nine under, even though he cost himself the outright lead heading into the weekend when he pulled off a long-iron into the water in the final and was unable to save par.
Colsaerts is tied at the very top with South African George Coetzee, who birdied his final hole to post a 68, while Richie Ramsay (69) is only two strokes behind and two-time significant champion Martin Kaymer can also be in contention on five under par.
Former Ryder Cup star Colsaerts, whos without a European Tour win because the Volvo World Match Play in 2012, fought to make much occur in a blustery front two before he suddenly vaulted into the lead with five birdies in five holes after the flip.
Nevertheless, the 36-year-old pulled his tee-shot too far left in the last, also had to settled for a bogey and a 66. He admitted that he was happy to find that the wind drop as he made the turn, which left the half more comfortable for the players.
It was very difficult when we started, he said. The front nine was fairly difficult as it was blowing fairly hard and by a slightly different direction than yesterday. Then it calmed down a tiny bit on the back nine.
I left several long putts which gave me momentum into the back nine, which was fine, and the remainder has been free-flowing. So yeah, quite pleased with the way I finished these initial two rounds
Coetzee was outside at the final set of the day from the 10th tee, and he made a good start until he followed a bogey using a double-bogey at the 16th afterwards he rinsed his first tee shot.
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However he had been another to collect a sustained burst of scoring on the front nine as he birdied five of the first six holes and then atoned for a bogey at eight with another birdie at two to cover a 68 and secure a share of the clubhouse lead with Colsaerts.
Many believed Kurt Kitayama would be hard to catch after the in-form American fled a 68 to set the early target in eight below, while Ramsay wouldve been closer to the leaders had it not been for a bad start, and finish, to his 69.
The veteran Scot made only 1 level on the front nine, which he started with a double-bogey six before blending five birdies with two bogeys at a colourful, outward 35, however, Ramsay subsequently enjoyed a steady series of pars before picking up shots at 14 and 15, simply to descend again at the last to slide to seven below.
Kaymer offset six birdies with four bogeys in an erratic 69 that leaves him well placed on five beneath as he chases his first win as the 2014 US Open, and hes flat with the luckless Gavin Moynihan, who endured a challenging break over the par-three 16th.
The Irishman, languishing at 162nd on the Race to Dubai, thought hed won a BMW i8, values 130,000, when his arrow-straight eight-iron pitched at the pit, but his ball bounced out of this cup and settled towards the rear of the green.
Meanwhile, the round of the afternoon belonged to seeing American Hudson Swafford, whose 65 showcased four and four birdies but also a 3 eagles lost shots.
Read more here: http://kyobee.com/francesco-molinari-reflects-on-massive-win-at-wentworth/