Thomas Linard continued his love affair with Golf & Spa Kunětická Hora by carding a second round of 67 to take a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the D+D REAL Czech Challenge.
The Frenchman, who began his round on the tenthhole, opened with six consecutive pars before birdieing the 16thand 18thto reach the turn in 34 – two under par for the day.
He then caught fire on his inward nine, carding back-to-back birdies on the second and third and another flurry of three in a row on holes six, seven and eight. Linard came to the last on 14 under par — three shots clear of the next closest competitor, South Korean Minkyu Kim.
A second consecutive 65 was not meant to be however, as Linard’s tee shot found a fairway bunker, which lead to a double-bogey six — his only over par score of the day.
Despite the setback, the 30 year old, who won the 2014 edition of the D+D REAL Czech Challenge, feels his game is in a good place, and significantly better than it was when he triumphed in Dříteč three years ago.
Czech this out!
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) May 25, 2018
Following a 67 today #CzechChallenge leader @thomaslinard17 is a combined 47 under par after 12 rounds at Golf & Spa Kunětická Hora 😳 pic.twitter.com/qdkV0sDYYl
“My game is totally different now,” said Linard. “It’s not the same. My technique is very simple now and I am a lot more positive in my thinking, which is having a very good impact on my game.”
Kim, who sits alone in second place — two shots clear of Joachim B. Hansen — was piecing together a bogey-free round of his own until a missed green on the 18thled to his only blemish on Day Two.
The 17 year old has been impressive all week, carding rounds of 67, 66 and recording only one over par score each round.
17-year-old Minkyu Kim continues to impress
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) May 25, 2018
A 66 today moves him up to second at the #CzechChallenge
Scores: https://t.co/aCIjFwwzrH pic.twitter.com/l1CK2TqVYf
One man who was able to keep his scorecard clean was home favourite Filip Mruzek, whose six under par 66 tied the lowest round ever by a Czech golfer since the event began in 2012.
It was a momentous day for golf in the Czech Republic as further history was made when a record number of five players from the host country survived the 36-hole cut of one under par, 143.
In all, 73 players advanced to the weekend at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge. The tournament resumes on Saturday morning when players tee off for their third round.
