Branden Grace retains the lead at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Branden Grace followed his European Tour record matching performance of 60, with a five-under par 67, in the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, to open up a five-stroke lead in Scotland.
The European Tour event is being played at the Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, featuring some of the best players from different parts of the world.
Grace, who already has won three European Tour tournaments this year, is moving in the right direction, in a bid to add another title to his resume this week.
The South African started off with three straight par putts, prior to conceding a bogey on the fourth hole. It was a disappointing start, considering the fact that he played the course amazingly well on day one.
However, Grace did not allow his critics to say anything about his start, as he bounced back strongly with a run of five birdies on the next six holes.
He then parred the next seven holes, prior to ending the day with another birdie on the 18th hole.
His final score, at the end of two rounds, was a 17-under par 127. Joel Sjöholm and Thorbjørn Olesen shared the second position with scores of 12-under par 132.
Standing on the 18th green, Grace had the chance to match the lowest-ever 36-hole total on the European Tour, by draining an eagle putt.
However, his approach missed the cup and he settled for a birdie in the end. Therefore, the record set by Ernie Els at the 2004 Heineken Classic remained unmatched.
Despite missing the chance of adding another record to his name, he was pleased with his overall performance so far in the tournament.
According to him, he himself does not know how he has turned the season in his favour this year. So far, he has won a total of four tournaments this year and is going for another one this week.
"I just don't really know what's going on," said Grace, who was ranked outside the top-300, almost a year ago.
Talking to the reports in the evening, he told that he was pleased with the format of the tournament, which allowed him to switch between the courses, after posting a 60 on day one.
"It would have been a hard situation if I had to play Kingsbarns again after shooting lights out. Getting to St Andrews I didn't know what to expect,” he said. "I struggling a bit in the beginning, but then my putter started getting hot again”.
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