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Remesy defies weather to take lead in Estoril Open
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Remesy defies weather to take lead in Estoril Open

Frenchman Jeff Remesy defied the wind and the rain to lead on three under par 141 at the halfway stage of the Estoril Open at Penha Longa, Portugal.

Remesy shot a second round of 69, equalling the best of the day, which included four birdies and only one bogey in wet and windy conditions, to lead a European Tour event for the first time in his career.

The 34-year-old has made 12 consecutive visits to the European Tour Qualifying School since 1987, but admitted he was close to giving up golf altogether after missing out on a Tour card once again last November. Indeed he was in the race to keep his card by finishing in the top-115 in the Volvo Order of Merit last year but missed the last six cuts of the season to fall to 131st place.

"When I missed out at the Tour School I was desperately disappointed. At that stage I seriously thought about giving up," he said.

But after a three-month break over the winter during which time he has worked on his mental approach to the game, Remesy has returned with a new found confidence. Having made the cut in the Tusker Kenya Open on the Challenge Tour and then another cut in Madeira, he continued his good run form to win the French PGA Championship last week, beating Raphael Jacquelin after a play-off. Having arrived here on an invite he now finds himself riding the crest of a wave at the head of the field.

Remesy leads by one from Britons David Carter and Andrew Raitt and Sweden’s Niclas Fasth.

For Carter the round was a constant test of his long-handled putter as the wind threatened to blow the club off line. Indeed on the ninth a gust caused him to miss from little more than a foot.

"It was tough out there with the long putter," he said. "But I made a few good putts coming home.

"I enjoy being up there. You get that feeling of nerves, a buzz - I love it."

Raitt, a graduate of the 1998 Qualifying School, moved on to the leaderboard for the first time in his career. "It was nice to see my name up there - a new milestone," he said.

Fasth, who carried his own bag for the first two days, equalled the best round of another testing day to post his 69.

Only eight players are under par at the halfway stage with the cut falling on five-over-par 149, the highest cut on the European Tour this season. 73 players qualified for the last two days.

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