Christofer Blomstrand continued his love affair with the Swiss Challenge Presented by Swiss Golf by adding a seven under par 64 to his opening 66 to seize control at the halfway stage at Golf Sempachersee.
The Swede leads by three on 12 under par after carding the low round of Day Two, with Aaron Cockerill, Lars van Meijel and Ricardo Santos sharing second place on nine under par.
Blomstrand finished tied fourth at last year’s Swiss Challenge and although he is unable to put his finger on why he has enjoyed success in the Swiss mountains, he admits being a good ball striker on the tight fairways helps his cause.
“You have to strike the ball well here,” he said. “It’s quite tight so if you’re not hitting good shots, then it’s going to be really tough. That’s the key here.
“I played really well actually. I also played well yesterday, and I’ve played pretty good for quite a long time now.”
Starting on the ninth tee, Blomstrand made the turn at five under and immediately added to his tally at the first and second, picking up birdies at each stop.
The 27-year-old suffered setbacks at the fourth and fifth with bogeys at each hole meaning he dropped back into the pack, before a superb eagle at the seventh saw him regain his advantage and open a healthy cushion between himself and those attempting to keep pace.
“I’ve been hitting some really good shots but it’s starting to feel much better now, so I’m happy,” he said.
“I haven’t been holing many putts but now I’m starting to feel way better on the greens.
“I played well all day but then I used one wrong club and followed it with one bad mistake. I was quite close to holing a wedge on the sixth and then I hit a two iron to eight feet for eagle, so that was a really nice way to finish the day.”
Portugal’s Santos continued his good form with a bogey-free 68 to sit alongside Cockerill and van Meijel in tied second, with the latter signing for a six under par 65.
Julien Quesne, who alongside Blomstrand carded the low round of the day with a seven under 64, Germany’s Moritz Lampert and England’s Richard Bland share fifth place on eight under par.
One shot further back on seven under par is Prague Golf Challenge runner-up Mathieu Fenasse, Finland’s Oliver Lindell and Scottish duo Calum Hill and Duncan Stewart.
In total, 66 players survived the 36-hole cut and the third round will begin at 7.42am local time on Saturday June 8. The final group of Santos and Blomstrand will tee off at 12.45pm local time.
