Joakim Lagergren will take a one-stroke lead into the weekend of the Irish Challenge after he posted a one under par round of 71 on day two at The K Club.
The Swede, who led by one overnight, carded two birdies and one bogey to reach ten under par and retain his advantage at the top of the leaderboard, one ahead of defending champion Brandon Robinson Thompson who made a triple-bogey at the last.
The 32-year-old, who set a new course record with a nine under par 63 on day one, has made just two bogeys during his first 36 holes and was pleased with his attempts in keeping blemishes off the card as the wind swirled in County Kildare.
“I played well today,” he said. “It was very tough out there because it was windy and wet. I couldn’t be as aggressive as yesterday when the conditions were perfect.
“I had to play for the middle of the green today and I only made one bogey which was great. I would have loved a few more birdies but overall, I’m pleased, and it was a decent day. Anything under par is a good score today because you can get some difficult wind directions.”
Lagergren held a one-shot lead heading into the final round of last week’s Black Desert NI Open presented by Tom McKibbin, and despite finishing runner-up, he is hoping to use that experience to get over the line this weekend.
“I was in this position last week and hopefully I can learn from that experience and get the job done this week,” he said. “The more I put myself into contention, the more comfortable I will become. I was nervous last Sunday but hopefully I will deal with the nerves a bit better this weekend.
“I’m not sure what the weather will be like tomorrow but if the weather is good then this is a course that I can attack. If the weather was like today, then I will need to play more conservatively. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Sweden’s Björn Åkesson sits in third place on eight under par, while Road to Mallorca Number One Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, American Aman Gupta, Scotland’s Ryan Lumsden and Sam Locke, Frenchmen Sébastien Gros and Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Joshua Grenville-Wood of the UAE and South African Dylan Naidoo share fourth position on six under.
