2017 champion Paul Dunne fired a three-under par 69 to move to within four shots of the leaders at the halfway stage of the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett. The Greystones professional carded five birdies and two bogeys to move to three-under par for the tournament and into a share of 16th, four back of a three-way tie for top.
Joining Dunne in the last two rounds is former Walker Cup teammate Cormac Sharvin who added a 71 to his opening 73 to move to even par. Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell was also safely through to the weekend on the number at one-over after bouncing back from an opening 76 with four birdies in a three-under 69 on Thursday. Niall Kearney (+6) and Colm Moriarty (+9) both missed the cut.
At the head of affairs, Robert MacIntyre carded the joint-lowest round of the day, a six-under par 66, as he took a share of the lead heading into Friday’s third round. The Scotsman, searching for his second European Tour victory, raced up the leaderboard with five birdies on his first five holes on the iconic Brabazon Course at The Belfry, making the turn four under par. Three birdies on his closing five holes saw him sign for a seven-under par total, sharing the lead with compatriot Calum Hill and England’s Richard Bland.
“It was one of those days where you start off and everything you look at goes in. It was exactly where we’re aiming it and it was good to see the work we’ve been putting in on the putting continuing to perform,” said MacIntyre.
“I started working with Graeme (Leslie) in the middle of last year. I was getting into bad habits and he was just drilling it into me: ‘trust in what you’re doing’. Everything we’ve done is pretty simple; he just gives me basic things to work on and then I just trust it.”
It is the first time Bland has shared the lead after 36 holes at a European Tour event since the British Masters in 2016, as he bids to record a maiden win on his 478th start. The 48-year-old is the only bogey-free player after two rounds, adding to yesterday’s score of 68 with a round of 69.
Hill continued the form which has seen him record three top-eight finishes on the 2021 Race to Dubai, which included a season-best result of tied third at the Kenya Savannah Classic supported by Absa in March.
Englishman Eddie Pepperell, winner of the British Masters in 2018 at Walton Heath, shares fourth place with Frenchman Julien Guerrier and South African Justin Harding.
Tournament host Danny Willett remains in the hunt after a level par round of 72. The 2016 Masters champion shares 16th place on three under par. Willett has raised £9,000 for his chosen charity, Prostate Cancer UK, after carding four second round birdies, adding to the five he recorded yesterday. Tournament title sponsors Betfred have pledged £1,000 for every birdie and £2,000 for every eagle Willett records this week to Prostate Cancer UK.
- Full scoring HERE
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