Cormac Sharvin returned a second successive even par round of 72 to advance to the weekend rounds of the Alfred Dunhill Championship as Jonathan Caldwell fell well short of the halfway cut mark.
Ardglass professional Sharvin saw his four birdies cancelled out by two bogeys and a double but in signing for another even par effort, the 28-year old advanced on the number in a share of 58th at level, albeit 13 shots off the pace. Unfortunately the news wasn’t so good for Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell who, after struggling to a 79 on Thursday, could only add a five-over par round of 77 for a 12-over total.
Meanwhile Poland’s Adrian Meronk finished in the near darkness of an African evening as he secured a three-shot lead going into the weekend at Leopard Creek. Meronk signed for a second round of 66 on Friday that included a bogey at the treacherous par-five 18th, but it did nothing to stop his quest for a European Tour victory as he topped the leaderboard on 13 under par.
“I’m very pleased. I hit a lot of good shots and am very happy with my position,” said Meronk. “The last couple of holes were quite dark, especially the last one. I didn’t want to rush anything because I’ve been in that position before and rushed it. I’m excited. It’s only halfway and there’s still a lot of golf to be played. But I’m excited.”
Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen produced the low round of the day with a 64 that saw him join England’s Richard Bland (67) as Meronk’s nearest challengers on 10 under.
“It’s really nice to play the way I am right now and I just want to keep that going. I got it going out there and holed some good putts and kept that momentum. It’s working quite well right now and hopefully that continues for the next two days,” said Hansen, who is looking for back-to-back victories following his win in last week’s Joburg Open.
Jayden Schaper leads the South African challenge on eight under alongside Frenchman Robin Roussel. The young star signed for a second round of 67 and is feeling confident for the next 36 holes on a golf course he loves.
“I love this place. I love being here. It’s just an awesome atmosphere here. I’m really positive for the weekend. I’m just going to keep being positive and make the same decisions. The trick is not to change anything but just to continue with what’s got me here,” he said.
A double-bogey six on the 14th was the only setback in a second round where Schaper seemed to really settle into his rhythm and strategy for this tournament.
“I’m very happy. I felt pretty good out there. I watched the morning scores and I wanted to chase them. I’m very happy with how I hit the ball today. It was a lot better than in the first round. And I made a lot of clutch putts to save par because I didn’t hit too many greens in the middle of my round. I got a little bit upset with my wobble on the 14th, but I’m really happy with the way I finished it off.”
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