Round two of the GAC Rosa Challenge Tour got underway at Rosa Golf Club on Friday and both Dermot McElroy and Jonathan Caldwell will be disappointed having failed to make the two-under-par cutline.
Although it was a steady showing from Down’s Caldwell in round two, it was his opening round score of five-over-par that really did the damage to his hopes of playing at the weekend.
The 41-year-old got off to a safe start, parring the first two holes and making birdie on the par-5 third hole.
Caldwell needed the birdies to come thick and fast if he was to sufficiently repair the damage but ultimately, they didn’t come.
Caldwell managed another birdie on the par-4 13th, but the addition of two bogeys in the round eventually saw him card an even-par round two, five-over par for his tournament and out of the weekend action.
Similar to Caldwell, Ballymena man Dermot McElroy had his work cut out for him in round two as a disastrous quadruple bogey in round one left him at three-over par before teeing off Friday morning.
Needing a hot start, the 32-year-old began going bogey-birdie-bogey on the opening three holes, before adding a birdie and two more bogeys closing out the front nine.
His chances gone, three more bogeys on the back nine saw him McElroy end his round at four-over-par, taking him to seven-over for the weekend, well outside the cutline.
While the week is over for the two Northern Irishmen, France’s Romain Wattel will be feeling confident heading into round three as the 34-year-old sprung to the top of the leaderboard with a six-under-par round two to see him one stroke ahead at nine-under.
Wattel made a fast start to day two, birdieing two of his opening three holes before adding another at the par-4 sixth to turn in three under par.
Back-to-back birdies followed on the tenth and 11th before a closing birdie on the 18th saw him edge in front after 36 holes.
“It was really important for me to start well, to make sure you’re not battling to make the cut or to be under pressure too quickly,” said Wattel.
“It was a nice start, and I played really good all round. Then hole 18 is a really tough hole and a birdie on there is always a bonus,” he added.
It’s a four-way tie for second place as Sweden’s Hugo Townsend and Germany’s Anton Albers both posted a round of 62 to see them tie with South Africa’s Bryce Easton and Italy’s Renato Paratore.
The third round of the GAC Rosa Challenge Tour gets under way tomorrow at 7:00am Irish time, with Wattel teeing off alongside Townsend and Easton at 10:44am.
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