Portugal Masters, Maarten Lafeber takes second round lead
Maarten Lafeber seized the club house lead in the second round of the Portugal Masters with a score of 13-under-par, at Oceanico Victoria course in Vilamoura, Portugal.
The Dutchman started the round in the afternoon, when nearly half of the field was done with eighteen holes. By the time Mikko Ilonen posted a round of 11-under-par, Lafeber was teeing off at the fifth hole.
However, the afternoon session gave an edge to the player, as teeing off was comparatively easier. Generally golfers prefer to tee off in the morning in overcast conditions, as the greens are comparatively hard and that helps in putting.
Whereas, in pleasant conditions, like it was yesterday, afternoon is a better time, as the teeing ground becomes harder by then and long hits are possible.
35-year-old, Lafeber started with the front nine and within few hours, he was done with an outstanding score of five under. He could not match his last round score of 64 with 11 birdies, but managed to fire an eagle at the second with a sand wedge and three
birdies in the next four holes.
The back nine wasn’t astounding, as he parred all the holes and missed a shot at the par-5 17th. This unfamiliar attitude with the closing holes was very strange, as only day before, the Dutchman birdied it with a beautiful putt.
Lafeber told the press that he could not maintain his pace and that was the reason behind his missed shot at the 17th. He said, “I lost a bit of focus and ended up in the water….you have got to be careful out there and not get too greedy, but
at the same time you also have to be aggressive because there are so many birdies to be made out there. I know that if I don't make any more and end up on the same score I will probably struggle to finish in the top 10".
The player, whose only victory in Europe came in 2003 Dutch Open, overtook Mikko Ilonen, who was initially standing in the first place. The 30-year-old, Finnish professional, shot a spot-less round in the back nine , but missed a shot on the eight, hence
losing the battle by two strokes. He was chased by Jose-Filipe Lima and Raphael Jacquelin. Both the players carded an aggregate of 10-under-par to take third place.
Lafeber stepped into Friday’s round with two other players at eight-under, Robert Karlsson and Johan Edfors. However, Edfors and Karlsson could not keep up with their momentum and carded a score of 72- 71 respectively.
Karlsson was not happy with the windy conditions as it restricted long drives. Moreover, he faced trouble with the putting, although, he seem to have no problem with his putter. The Swede told the press, “You will get a lot of chances around here so if you
stay out of the water you will have a chance around here. I missed a few putts. The wind was a little bit tricky today, but it's a four-day golf tournament. I'm not too worried now. If you are four or five shots behind on Sunday you still have a chance".
According to the experts, the scoring will be improved in the next two days, with increasing pressure and pleasant weather conditions at Oceanico Victoria Golf Club.
Utilizing the wind, the Ryder Cup hero Francesco Molinari, surged up and produced the lowest score of the day, he shot a 62. The Italian, who was seated two-over in the first round portrayed control and persistence in the second. He teed off from the back
nine and took a share in the 11th spot.
This is it for the second round of the Portugal Masters that took place on 15th October, 2010, at Oceanico Victoria course in Vilamoura, Portugal. Maarten Lafeber took the lead, followed by Mikko IIonen. Francesco Molinari stepped
out of his tired and drained posture and smashed the lowest score of 62.
Tags: