David Higgins took a giant step towards retaining his playing privileges for the 2002 European Tour when he moved into the lead at the halfway stage of the Telefonica Open de Madrid at Club de Campo.
The 28 year old Irishman stormed to the head of affairs with a superb second round 62, a nine under par effort which would have broken the ten year old course record 63 held jointly by Eduardo Romero and Seve Ballesteros, had it not been for the preferred lies which were in operation for the second day running.
But it was a moot point for Higgins who started the week in 128th position on the Volvo Order of Merit, knowing that a top ten finish in the Spanish capital would safeguard his place on Tour for next year, albeit there is still next week’s Atlanet Italian Open to come.
The Irishman’s lowest ever round as a professional saw him move to 13 under par 129, one shot clear of Englishman Brian Davis and Retief Goosen, current leader of the Volvo Order of Merit, both of whom carded 64’s for 130, and Steve Webster who, late in the day, matched Higgins’s 62.
For the second day running Higgins did not drop a shot and this time began his birdie assault on the Club de Campo layout at the 445 yard 12th hole - having started his round at the tenth - his first of four in an ‘outward’ half of 31.
If his first nine holes were impressive, Higgins’s second nine was even more so, birdies raining in at the first, fourth, fifth and seventh before he very nearly ended his round in sensational fashion, leaving his tee shot at the 177 yard ninth hole a mere two inches from the hole.
It left the simplest of tasks for a closing birdie and the Irishman admitted he had enjoyed himself in the limelight, perhaps more so than at any time during the course of the season.
“I’ve been putting too much pressure on myself and getting down on myself but this week I’ve been really relaxed,” he said. “I’ve nothing to lose and I’ve tried not to think about the situation I am in. If I do it, I do it.”
In joint second, Brian Davis showed that although conditions might be dramatically different, his form remained constant as he followed up his top 15 place in the weather-affected Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews with another consistent showing in the Spanish sunshine.
Like Higgins, the 27 year old also carded nine birdies in an excellent 64 which moved him to 12 under par 130, the only difference to the Irishman being that Davis did drop a couple of shots, firstly at the 12th hole and secondly at the 467 yard first.
Alongside the Londoner, Retief Goosen continued to advance on his twin targets for the week, namely to win the Telefonica Open de Madrid and at the same time clinch the 2001 Volvo Order of Merit title.
Already carrying a healthy lead over second placed Darren Clarke, the US Open champion took another giant step in his quest to succeed Lee Westwood as European Number One with an excellent second round 64 which featured eight birdies and only one dropped shot at the 442 yard sixth.
Clarke did not rule himself out of contention, but dropped shots at the third and ninth holes in his second round meant he could do no better than 69 for a six under par total of 136 and the Ulsterman will go into the weekend seven shots off the lead and six behind Goosen.
Making up the trio in second place, Steve Webster was in as spectacular form as Higgins as he matched the Irishman’s 62. Five under par through the turn, further birdies followed at the tenth, 12th before he dropped his only shot of the day at the 467 yard 13th.
But the 25 year old, who won the 1995 Qualifying School, got quickly back on track with birdies at the 14th and 15th before he ended in style with a birdie at the last to keep on course for his highest ever finish on the Volvo Order of Merit. Currently lying 44th, a good finish in Spain would see him seriously challenge the 37th place he attained in 1998.
Further down the leaderboard on ten under par 132, Miguel Angel Jiménez shouldered the bulk of the host nation’s hopes and in the process gave himself the opportunity to continue his remarkable success rate in his home country.
Three of the 37 year old’s last four victories on The European Tour have come in Spain and a flawless second round 67, which featured birdies at the first, fourth, 13th and 18th, saw him move into position to claim title number four over the weekend.
