Henrik Stenson completed the best two rounds of his rookie season to date on The European Tour at The De Vere Belfry to give himself a three shot lead at the halfway stage of the Benson and Hedges International Open.
The 25 year old Swede, who topped the Challenge Tour rankings last season, eventually reproduced some of that form after a disappointing start to the season, adding a 68 to his opening 66 for a ten under par total of 134.
Nearest challenger to Stenson was Dane Thomas Björn who carded a 68 for a seven under par total of 137, while one shot further adrift stood European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, South African Desvonde Botes and Ireland’s Paul McGinley.
“I’m very pleased with my round today as I was yesterday,” said Stenson. “My putter worked well again and I am excited because I think I have a nice weekend ahead of me.
“I think you are always going to be a little tense going into the weekend as leader but that is a good thing – I hope I am a little nervous because if you are not it means you are not fired up as you should be. I hope I feel some butterflies in my stomach before I set off.”
Stenson started his round at the tenth hole and reached the turn in 34 thanks to birdies at the tenth and 17th. Four birdies in row from the first momentarily gave the Swede a five shot lead over the field before bogeys at the sixth and seventh gave hope to the chasing pack.
Leading that was Björn who completed a remarkable recovery to rekindle his challenge. The Dane covered the opening ten holes of his first round in scrappy figures of two over par but battled back commendably.
“I haven’t played golf at all or practiced over the last three weeks because I needed a break and a chance to give my neck and back a rest, so the first nine holes of my first round were just a bit rusty, that’s all” he said.
“Once I got over that though it was a lot better and although I’m still hitting a few loose ones, my good shots have been so good that I have been able to score well and make up for the bad ones.”
Björn started his second round at the tenth and reached the turn in 34 before three birdies in four holes from the third moved him briefly to eight under par for the tournament only to see him drop back slightly with a bogey five at the ninth, his last hole of the day.
Although not exactly ready for the pipe and slippers yet, the 30 year old admitted he was beginning to feel his age, hence the reason he had to take care and not overdo the practice and risk further wear and tear on his neck and back.
“I always think of myself as a young player but the other day I was interviewed alongside the other two players who have won the Asprey & Garrard Golfer of the Month Awards this season (Justin Rose and Aaron Baddeley) and they were both 20, so maybe now I’m not so sure,” he said.
“I had a lot of pain in my neck and back after Australia last year but since getting that seen to, I have upped my exercise regime to include about an hour a day stretching and that has helped. I just have to be careful. If I look after myself and prepare properly for golf I will be fine – if I don’t, I won’t.”
Like Björn, Torrance started his round at the tenth hole but saved his best form for his inward half on the front nine, notching three birdies in a row from the second before claiming another birdie at the eighth which compensated for his bogey four at the seventh.
“To be honest I struggled a bit on the front nine but as I said yesterday, I had done a lot of work with my dad on my swing last week and when you do that, you tend to exaggerate what you have done a little bit until what you are doing feels comfortable,” he said.
“So after the turn I thought I would take my hands back a little bit at address and it just clicked and began to work a treat. When the birdies started going in I started to get a little buzz coming down the stretch which was good.”
Although Torrance was pleased with his own performance, he took time out to praise Björn, who looks certain to be a vital cog in his European team which return to The De Vere Belfry for The Ryder Cup Matches in four months time.
“I have always been very impressed with Thomas as a golfer,” said Torrance. “I love his game and I love his attitude. He is hard on himself but he is also aggressive on the course and very competent.
“He is also scared of no-one and that was perfectly illustrated in Dubai when he teed up with Tiger Woods for all four days and went on to beat him.”
Finishing alongside Torrance on six under par 138 was Desvonde Botes after the 27 year old South African carded his second consecutive 69 on the Brabazon Course.
Ironically, things could have been even better for Botes, who won the Qualifying School at San Roque last year, but for an uncharacteristic ending to his round where he stumbled to a double bogey six on the 18th.
In the greenside bunker in two, Botes thinned his escape shot over the heads of the gallery from where he had to drop in the designated zone before pitching and two putting for a six to see him drop back from eight under par to six.
It was a total attained also by McGinley, who had shared the opening day lead with Stenson after his 66 but could not recreate the fireworks in his second round, two bogeys and two birdies seeing the Irishman have to settle for a level par 72.
“You like to take advantage of par fives, that’s what pro golf is all about,” said McGinley. “But to play them in two over par has cost me three or four shots to the field – apart from that however, my game was pretty solid.”
Further down the leaderboard, it proved a better day for Colin Montgomerie who ensured he would make his first cut in three outings with a flawless second round 69 for a two under par total of 142.
“It was a bit better today,” said Montgomerie. “I didn’t have any bogeys but I did miss a six footer on the last for birdie which was very disappointing. But it’s coming back slowly and surely and I’ve just got to be patient. I’m not the most patient guy in the world but I’ve got to become one!”
But there was disappointment for defending champion José Maria Olazábal, who carded a 75 to drop back to two under par for the tournament, and United States Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange, who posted a 73 for a seven over par total of 151 to comfortably miss the cut.
“It’s been very useful coming over here, how much I suppose I will find out on September 30,” said Strange. “I felt I reaquainted myself with the golf course and with some of the new holes and gave me a knowledge of the golf course.”
European number one Lee Westwood ended on three under par 141 after his second round 68 while stablemate Darren Clarke narrowly scraped into the weekend’s action right on the cut mark of one over par 145 after a disappointing 76.
