The wheels came off Ireland’s hopes on day two of the BMW International Open as all three raiders missed the cut at Golfclub München Eichenried.
Of the three, Gavin Moynihan can feel most aggrieved after falling short of the two-under cut mark by a single stroke.
The Mount Juliet pro had looked comfortable after an opening two-under 70 but tumbled 46 places down the board after a second round 73 to miss out on the weekend at minus-one.
Paul Dunne returned just four birdies for 36-holes spent in Germany in a disappointing effort from the normally reliable Greystones golfer.
Dunne showed plenty of heart to grind out a second round in the red of 71 but his one-over total saw him finish his week outside the top-100.
Meanwhile the news was no better for Ballymoney’s Michael Hoey who’s experiencing his first rough patch of the season.
Hoey never got going this week, adding a 73 to his opening 74 to finish well down the field.
At the top, home favourite, Martin Kaymer continued to wow the crowds, taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend after reaching 11-under par at Golfclub München Eichenried.
The two-time Major Champion started the second round on five-under par, one stroke behind overnight leader Andrea Pavan, of Italy, but struggled to find his rhythm as he carded two birdies and two bogeys on his first four holes.
He made the turn one under par for his round, but then charged up the leaderboard after three consecutive birdies from the 11thhole, including a spectacular chip-in from a bunker on the par three 12th. Two more birdies followed, including his eighth of the day on the final hole, reaching six under par for his round in front of the delighted home fans.
“I didn’t play as well as yesterday, especially on the first nine – I wasn’t comfortable the way I was hitting the ball,” said Kaymer. “I missed a lot of shots right but I was scrambling well. I said to James on the tenth tee box that today was a day where I’d need to hang in there, shoot one or two under and then move on. Then, all of a sudden, things changed. I felt something nice in my swing and from the 11th I played really well.
“My tee shot on 12 was a shocking one, you don’t want to put yourself in that bunker. I would have expected myself to get to four or five feet, but not hole it. That was unexpected.
“It’s a very nice position to be in. It’s always difficult leading golf tournaments. Now I just play against myself, try to reach my number and hopefully it’s enough to be in the lead on Saturday evening.”
The former World Number One, bidding for his first European Tour title since his 2014 U.S. Open victory, leads by two from South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who carded the lowest round of the day – a seven-under par 65 – to take second place.
Scandinavian pair Kim Koivu, of Finland, and Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg share third place on eight under par. Seven golfers, including defending champion Matt Wallace and former World Number One Lee Westwood, are fifth on seven-under par.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar had reason to celebrate on Friday afternoon, after a hole-in-one on the par three 17th saw him win a brand new BMW M8 Coupe.
The third round will commence at 07:30 local time, with a two-tee start utilised due to severe thunderstorms forecast in the afternoon.
Full Scoring HERE
Leave a comment