France’s Joël Stalter holds a one shot lead heading into the weekend at the KLM Open in the Netherlands after following his opening 65 with a second round 67 to reach ten under par.
Here we look at what some of his closest challengers had to say at The Dutch.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat (65, -9)
“I hit the ball really well today and hit a lot of great shots so it’s all been very positive. I only made one mistake today when I drove the ball into the water on the 11th but I made a great up and down there for bogey and then after that I played great.
“Everything about my game is so sharp right now, especially my iron play. I’m still hitting a few putts which I am not happy with, but the rest of the game is in great shape.
“I’m starting to really feel the benefit of working with Mike Walker and Pete Cowan. I have been working with them since the start of the year and have made so many good changes. They nearly killed me with all the work I have had to do but now it is starting to feel really good. I need to now start aiming high and winning tournaments more often.”
Sebastian Heisele (68, -8)
“I am ready to go to bed now! That was a very long day today but overall I am very happy with the first two rounds, especially in the conditions we have had.
“I’m playing with a lot more confidence at the moment and we all need that to play really well. Playing with confidence just makes everything seem a little easier – I played well on the Challenge Tour last week which gave me a bit of a boost and then this golf course really suits my game so I’m happy with where I am with my game right now.”
Lee Westwood (65, -7)
“The first round was just kind of steady. I didn’t really hit it close enough so I didn’t have that many real chances for birdie and then the second round was a lot better. I did hit it close, made a few good putts and I also burned the hole a lot. That 65 for the second round could easily have been 61.
“I am hitting the ball well. I have got my distance control back and the strike is getting better and better. I’m driving the ball in the fairway too which you obviously need to do and I feel like I am rolling the ball well on the greens so hopefully we can see a few more putts drop over the weekend.
“If I can play like I did in the second round today then I’ll have a chance over the weekend so the plan will be to try and replicate what I did out there today. Ross (Fisher) just said to me in the scorers hut that my round was one of the easiest 65s he has seen in a long time which is a nice compliment and one that I’ll try and take into the weekend.”
