England’s Paul Broadhurst will take a one shot lead over home favourite José Maria Olazábal, the hosting Pula course architect, into Saturday’s third round of the Mallorca Classic.
The two former Ryder Cup players found some vintage form on Friday and Broadhurst was five strokes clear of the field before double bogeying the 14th for a four under par 66 and a two round aggregate of seven under par 133.
Olazábal, who equalled the best round of the day with a 65, is aiming for his first win for three years either side of the Atlantic and is well placed in second, a stroke ahead of France’s Gregory Havret.
While Olazábal seeks to end his absence from the winner’s enclosure, Broadhurst is trying for his second success of the season after capturing the Estoril Open de Portugal Caixa Geral de Depositos at the beginning of April, his first victory on The European Tour in 10 years.
Like in Portugal, the 40 year old Englishman said his recent form had given him little cause for optimism ahead of the Mallorca Classic. “I had pretty much zero expectations - about the same as Portugal. It’s amazing how many times that happens. One day you can’t hit the ball and the next you’re leading the tournament,” he said after a round containing seven birdies in 10 holes from the third.
However, his progress stalled when he went into the lake at the 392 yard 14th and finished with a double bogey six, which allowed his team-mate from the 1991 Ryder Cup, Olazábal, to move within one of the lead.
Olazábal is currently in the process of making changes to the Pula course and when asked if it would be a thrill to take the title on it, he replied: “It would be a thrill to win anywhere after three years without one.”
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Mattias Eliasson revived his hopes of retaining his playing rights after a second successive 68 moved him into a share of fourth place on four under par with England’s Simon Khan, runner-up in this event last year, Jose-Filipe Lima of Portugal and Australian Wade Ormsby.
Eliasson is 143rd on the Order of Merit and came into the event requiring a fourth place finish at worst to avoid a return to the Qualifying School.
“I know what I need to do and I have nothing to lose – I’ll just go out and hit it as hard as I can,” he said after a round containing six birdies, but also two bogeys and a double bogey on the 313 yard 11th, where he hit his approach into the water.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia posted a second 69 in a row to be two under, while first round leader Jonathan Lomas, six under through eight holes and out on his own in front, had four bogeys in the next six holes and dropped another at the last to finish the day only one under.
Swedes Jarmo Sandelin, a five-time winner since graduating from the Challenge Tour in 1994, and Johan Sköld both finished on the cut line at four over par but will need spectacular weekends if they are to climb from 139th and 122nd respectively into the top 116.
Gregory Bourdy, who currently occupies that crucial 116th spot, missed the cut by one and Miguel Angel Martin’s survival means the Spaniard is sure to go past him. Scot David Drysdale is another whose fate is out of his hands. Drysdale made an early exit as well and at 115th on the Order of Merit he is in danger of losing his card.
