EUROPEAN TOUR:Bernd Wiesberger holds a one-shot lead after shooting a seven-under-par 65 to lead at the halfway stage of the Ballantine's Championship in Icheon, South Korea.
The Austrian, who opened his tournament with a respectable level par 72 on a blustery first day, hit seven birdies to lead by one from Australian Marcus Fraser.
“Today I couldn’t really do anything wrong, really. It felt like everything was going in the right direction,” said Wiesberger.
“I’m just trying to hit a lot of greens and try and hit on the right spots, which is important here. It’s a tricky golf course when you hit into the wrong places.”
Fraser, who won this title on Jeju Island in 2010, shot a 67 that left him one ahead of Swede Oskar Floren.
Fraser started on the back nine and turned in 32 after four birdies with two more at the first and second but he bogeyed both par threes on the front nine and stayed alone in second virtue of a birdie at the fifth. Floren was level par for his round and the tournament with five holes to play.
Miguel Angel Jiménez, England’s Anthony Wall and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar share fourth on four under, with none of the afternoon starters able to break into the top six in much windier conditions.
Damien McGrane, Shane Lowry and Paul McGinley lead the Irish challenge on level par, after rounds of 71, 70 and 73 respectively.
Gareth Maybin made the cut on the limit, at four over, after a second round of 76.
US TOUR:Jason Dufner surged into the lead with a second round of 65 in the New Orleans Classic at TPC Louisiana. Dufner's 12-under-par total left him a shot ahead of Russell Knox, who carded a 64 yesterday.
Graeme McDowell was one over par through 11 holes of his second round, leaving him right on the cut mark of two under.
HELEN HOLM TROPHY:Leona Maguire made a stunning start to her bid to regain the Scottish Women's Open strokeplay title for the Helen Holm Trophy at Troon Portland yesterday.
The 16-year-old Curtis Cup player from Slieve Russell, who won the crown in 2009 and was runner-up last spring, fired a seven under par 68 to share the first round lead with Cheshire’s Rachael Goodall – and the pair are two strokes clear of Welsh star Amy Boulden and France’s Perrinne Delacour.
Five birdies on the bounce from the eighth proved the key to the Maguire round as she recorded halves of 36 and 32. She also had birdies at the sixth, 15th and 18th.
BONALLOCK TROPHY:Rathmore's Alan Dunbar maintained his unbeaten record as Europe demolished Asia Pacific 20½-11½ at Monte Rei in Portugal yesterday to retain the Bonallack Trophy.
It was when Dunbar halved his singles with Indian Seenappa Chekkarangappa that the Europeans, who had led from the start of the three-day match, knew they would hang on. Dunbar and Wales’ Rhys Enoch were top points scorers for Europe over the three days.
