Peter Lawrie lies tied for 26th at level par as home favourite Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Denmark’s Thomas Bjørn will go head-to-head in the final group at the Staysure Marbella Legends after both reached eight-under-par through 36 holes at Aloha Golf Club in Spain.
Lawrie, making his first Legends Tour start in a year, opened with a two-under-par round of 70 that left him inside the top 10, and, starting from the 10th in round two, made three early birdies to put himself within touching distance of the lead before bogeying the 18th.
The birdies dried up on the front, and four dropped shots in his final five holes dropped him out of contention but he still has plenty to play for in the final round.
Cameron Clark, making his first Legends Tour start as a full member, continued to struggle, following Friday’s three-over with a four-over 76 to fall into a tie for 57th place at +7.
But the experienced Ryder Cup duo are giving the fans plenty to look forward to as they sit two shots clear of Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman, who occupies solo third at six-under-par, with a tightly-packed chasing group at five-under that includes Johan Edfors, Bo Van Pelt, Jamie Donaldson, Carl Suneson, Stephen Gallacher and Gary Orr.
Jiménez followed his opening 66 with a steady two-under-par 70 to remain at the summit on home soil. The 21-time DP World Tour winner battled through a testing back nine, responding strongly to setbacks and finishing with momentum to delight the local crowds.
“I was very satisfied with my round today,” said Jiménez. “To be top of the leaderboard and in the final group is very nice. I played solid apart from one hole, but I recovered well on the back nine and managed to finish at eight-under.”
The Spaniard, who is a member at Aloha and lives nearby, admitted the occasion would carry extra emotion should he lift the trophy on Sunday.
“It would be amazing to win,” he added. “I’m a member here. All my family and friends are around. It would be very special.”
Bjørn, Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup captain in 2018, produced a composed second-round 68 to join Jiménez at the top of the leaderboard. After racing to three-under early in his round, the Dane weathered a mid-round wobble before regaining control with a superb bunker shot at the 10th that proved pivotal.
“It was a weird round of golf today,” admitted Bjørn. “I got off to a nice start, three-under after five, then made a few bogeys around seven, eight and nine. I holed a nice bunker shot on 10 to get me back on track and then it was a nice cruise from there.”
Sunday’s final pairing adds an extra layer of intrigue, with the two Ryder Cup stalwarts being close friends off the course.
“We spend a lot of time together. We’re great friends – we spent my birthday together on Wednesday night. Now we’ve got to go and play golf against each other. That’s how this game is.”
2014 Ryder Cup player Jamie Donaldson remains firmly in contention for a second Staysure Legends Tour title after a composed second-round performance that kept him within striking distance of the leaders.
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