Tommy Fleetwood surged into the lead in the second round of the Rolex Trophy with a seven under par 65 at Geneva Golf Club.
Having carded a 66 in the first round, the Englishman reached 13 under par at the halfway stage, one shot clear of Austrian Florian Praegant, who signed for a 67, and four in front of Swede Klass Eriksson, a former champion here, who also shot 65.
Fleetwood, who turned professional last year, had five birdies and a bogey on the front nine and came back in three under – all thanks to some fine form on the greens.
“I’m putting really well,” said the 20 year old. “I holed some great putts, which is not something I’ve done for a while. It’s nice to be up there in position, so I’ve just got to keep playing well. The course is good and in such great condition that if you get it onthe fairway you'll always have a chance for birdie.
“I’ve been in this position a few times now in the last year or so and haven’t been able to finish it off, so to do that this week would be great.”
It has been a fine few weeks for Praegant, who sealed Austria’s place in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in November by winning the European Qualifier with Roland Steiner, then a week later nearly claimed the Norwegian Challenge but lost in a play-off to Andrea Pavan.
For the second day running he produced a four-hole run of birdies, this time from the third, but that was immediately followed by a bogey - his first of the week – at the seventh. A fine putt yielded another birdie at the ninth, and he played the back nine in one under par, with consecutive birdies at the 12th and 13th and a bogey at the 14th.
“My long game was so-so today,” said the 27 year old. “Yesterday it wasn’t brilliant but today I struggled a bit with it. I had ten putts on the front nine though which is the reason for this score. And I chipped in for birdie at the fifth.
“I’m just putting so well. I holed a couple from around seven metres, and anything from three metres or closer I know is going to go in, I’m that confident. I’ve been leading a few times this year and I’m comfortable with it. I’ve just got to keep putting well and hope my driving improves.
“The last few weeks have been really good and I’m feeling great with a lot of confidence.”
Eriksson, who won the title in 2008 with a nine under par 63 in the last round, said: “I do get a good feeling on this course for some reason. It’s a nice course where you have to shape your tee shots. You have to hit really good shots to make birdies, but if you’re playing well there are plenty of chances. The fairways are incredible.
“I’m enjoying this year and playing very well without having any good finishes. It would be nice to change that here.”
All four rounds of the €218,000 Rolex Trophy are played in a pro-am format, with round one comprising two professionals and two Swiss junior players in each group, and the subsequent three rounds consisting of one professional and three amateurs per team.
