Niclas Fasth held his ground at the top of the leaderboard with a level par 72 at Santo da Serra as he continues his quest to become the fourth Swede to win the Madeira Island Open title in the past eight years.
Fasth, twice a runner-up up but still searching for a maiden European Tour victory struggled to find the fairway with his tee shots all day but fought back from a double bogey with three birdies to remain at six under par, a shot clear of Spain’s Diego Borrego and Austrian Markus Brier.
Fasth came close to becoming the first player to win the Qualifying School Finals twice when he followed his 1996 victory at San Roque Club with a runners-up finish last November and he goes into the weekend in confident mood having put what he hopes is his bad round behind him.
He said: “Today was not a very good round. I missed the fairways all the time, made a double bogey and a few bogeys. But it felt good to come back with a few birdies on the back nine and got it back to level today.
“I will be in contention over the weekend. I played much better on the second nine and that gave me confidence. I’m a patient player. I’ve put so much energy into the game the results will come. The game is there. If it happens this week then great. I feel confident.”
Behind him lies Brier, playing his rookie season after becoming the first Austrian to earn full membership of the European Tour after graduating from the Challenge Tour last season. The 31 year old shot a two under par 70 to move into unchartered waters near the top of the leaderboard. But with Harry Maier, a former professional cyclist, helping him on his mental approach to the game he is going into the weekend with a positive attitude.
“This is a new situation for me,” he said. “I’ve never been in this position so don’t know how I will handle it. But I’m normally a good weekend player so if I can put in two more good rounds, you never know. I’m looking forward to it.”
Also on five under par 139 is Borrego, whose only European Tour victory came in 1996. The Spaniard made his first cut of the year with a best of the day 67, five under par, which included six birdies and only one dropped shot on the 11th, his second, when he drove into the water. But six single putts after struggling on the greens in the first round put him right back into contention.
Two shots off the pace the chasing pack are gathering with no fewer than six players sharing fourth place. Among them is Jim Payne, the 1992 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, who needs something special to regain his place on the European Tour. Payne was unable to play for much on 1999 due to a thumb injury but his medical exemption expired in Dubai. Victory here would save him from relying on invitations for the remainder of the season. He shot a three under par 69.
John Bickerton also moved into a strong position at the halfway stage with a solid 70 as he prepares himself for the Seve Ballesteros Trophy next month. Andrew Beal, third here in 1998 also shot a 70 to move to four under along with fellow Challenge Tour players Jose Manuel Lara of Spain and two more Swedes, Mikael Lundberg and Raimo Sjoberg.
A total of 77 players, plus the Portuguese Amateur Joao Umbelino survived the halfway cut to make it into the weekend.
