09/06/12
Flying Dutchman Daan Huizing continued his stunning form at the St Andrews Links Trophy to move into a massive 10-shot lead at the end of the second round.
The 21-year-old, a runaway 11-stroke winner in the Lytham Trophy in May and runner-up in this event to Tom Lewis 12 months ago, extended his overnight lead with more superb golf.
After carding a first-round six-under-par 65 on the New Course yesterday, he followed that with a 64 on the Old Course today to reach 14-under-par (129) and leave a quality field trailing in his wake in the 72-hole event.
In pleasant conditions over the famous links, with little wind to speak of, Huizing's round featured nine birdies, at the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 12th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes, and only one bogey, at the 10th.
Remarkably, he still wasn't entirely satisfied with his performance: "I feel that I left two shots out there at nine and 10, but I suppose I carried a little bit of luck at other points in my round.
“I hit the ball much closer to the flag today and holed some serious putts from 15 and 10 metres. However, the way I'm playing just now I feel that not too much can go wrong.”
“This year is the best I’ve ever played,” added Huizing. “I've learned to control the ball in the wind by relaxing and developing better distance control.”
Jordan Zunic from Australia sits in second place on a four-under-par total of 139, one shot ahead of French trio Edouard Espana, Kenny Subregis and Thomas Elissalde as well as Callum Shinkwin from Moor Park and South African Stroke Play champion Haydn Porteous.
Only two Scots survived the cut for the top 40 and ties, with Glenbervie’s Graeme Robertson sitting in a share of 11th place on level par and Brian Soutar (Leven GS) tied for 19th at one-over-par.
The final 36 holes of stroke play are played over the Old Course tomorrow.
>> Click here for second round scores from the St Andrews Links Trophy
Round-up
* Jamie McLeary continues to lead the Scottish challenge at the Kärnten Golf Open on the Challenge Tour, after a one-under-par 71 in round three took him to nine-under-par for the tournament – seven strokes behind leaders Daniel Brooks of England and Frenchman Gary Stal.
Peterhead-born McLeary is just one stroke ahead of a trio of his countrymen - Gavin Dear, Scott Henry and Callum Macaulay - going into the final round. Of that quartet, Perth player Dear produced the lowest third round of the day, a fine six under par 66, to join Henry (70) and Macaulay (68) on eight under.
It could have been so much better for Clydebank's Henry, however, who had played himself into contention with an outstanding first 15 holes before a combination of torrential downpours and a couple of bad swings robbed the 24-year-old of three shots in his closing holes.
“I actually can’t believe that score given how well I played,” said Henry, twice the Scottish Boys champion. “My iron play was outstanding for most of the round and then I got caught in that downpour on the par five and all of a sudden I make double and then drop another one coming in.
"To go from five-under to two was so frustrating. I should have been close to the lead but now it is a long way to go to win.”
The other two Scots surviving the halfway cut, Scott Drummond and David Law, carded 73 and 71 respectively to end the day on four-under and in a tie for 34th place.
* Lloyd Saltman, a former star in the SGU ranks, finished as the leading Scot in a share of 22nd place in the European Tour’s Nordea Masters, won by Lee Westwood.
The Craigielaw player promised much after a 64 on Thursday, featuring an incredible albatross, but was unbale to maintain such sparkling form and closed with rounds of 75 and 71.
* One of the USA’s most promising players will battle it out with the cream of the European crop when Nick Watney plays in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Club from July 12-15.
The news that one of the biggest rising stars of US golf is to make the trip across the Atlantic to the stunning Moray Firth venue provides another huge boost for the event, with Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Lawrie and Martin Laird already all confirmed.