Whitehead’s John Ross Galbraith is just four shots off the lead despite only managing a two-under par 71 on moving day at the Pentahotels Championship at Caversham Heath.
Galbraith carded five birdies and three dropped shots to move to seven-under par but finds himself in a tie for 16th with a swarm of players to get through on Friday in Berkshire.
Sadly it wasn’t the day that West Cliff’s Brendan McCarroll had hoped for starting out. Having been just two shots off the lead after an opening day 65, McCarroll returned a score 11 shots worse off in round two and tumbled down the board to a tie for 50th after a disappointing effort.
Tullamore’s Stuart Grehan is not without hope at six-under par as he looks for a week to ignite his season. It’s been a slow campaign for the fledgling pro thus far but Grehan’s round of 71 sees him five shots off the pace and in need of a big one tomorrow.
Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell produced a four-under par round of 69 to move inside the top-40 at minus four. That’s the same number as Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy who fired a second successive 71 today.
Meanwhile Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney is back in a tie for 50th alongside McCarroll at three-under par after adding a 72 to his opening effort of 71.
A three-under par cut meant Headfort’s Brian Casey (-1) was unlucky to miss out while Luke Donnelly, Neil O’Briain, Conor O’Rourke and Daniel Brennan also had their weeks cut short.
At the top, Scottish duo Calum Fyfe (Golfing4Life) and Sam Locke (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) share the lead on -11 after a sweltering second round as temperatures exceeded 34°C in Berkshire.
Fyfe was the first man to post his total, adding a 67 to his opening 68. Starting at the 10th tee, he went out in bogey-free 33, before picking up four further shots in a three-hole stretch from holes 4-6. His only blemish was a bogey on the 9th, his final hole, which cost him the outright lead going into the final round.
Locke missed the cut at the Open Championship last week, but he’s found eagles and birdies easier to come by on his return to PGA EuroPro Tour action. He joined Fyfe at the summit by signing for a rollercoaster of a 68, with two eagles, four birdies, a bogey and a double bogey on a colourful scorecard.
The round of the day belonged to Marco Penge (Golf at Goodwood), who fired a sensational 10-under-par 63 that included two eagles and six birdies. He leapt from outside the cut mark after the first day into a tie for 3rd, alongside Nick Cunningham (Bedford & County GC) on -10.
Race to Desert Springs leader Richard Mansell (Beau Desert GC) is handily positioned in T11th at -8, just three shots behind the leaders on a very congested leaderboard that sees 28 players within five shots of Fyfe and Locke.
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