Paul Broadhurst put on a masterclass at The Celtic Manor Resort as he shot a five under 65 in the second round at the 2016 SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open.
The former Ryder Cup player rediscovered the magic that saw him named 2015 European Senior Tour Rookie of the Year, moving to within two shots of leader Chris Williams after starting the day on level par.
Broadhurst went into the turn three under and birdied the 11th and 12th holes to close the gap even further, carding the best round of the day on the Roman Road course.
Playing in his first Wales Senior Open since becoming eligible for the Senior Tour last year, the 50 year old now has a second title in his sights in what is just his sixth event on the circuit.
“It was important to have a good one yesterday,” Broadhurst said. “I couldn’t let the leaders get too far ahead, and I’ve have taken five under before starting my round.
“I missed a short putt on the 17th for a birdie, which niggles me a bit. But as long as I’m within two or three of the lead then I’m still in the hunt.
“I’m not one of those players who doesn’t look at leaderboards, I want to know where I am out there. I noticed Chris holed his second shot on the 12th for an eagle.”
The Englishman shot 31 on an unblemished back nine, as he recorded his best score since joining the Senior Tour in August 2015.
“I hit some good shots, a lot of them were close. I missed a couple of chances, but you’re going to on these greens.
“I had two chances, one on 13 and that one on 17. They were tricky downhill right to left putts, if you want to win at this level you have to make those.
“I left two or three shots out there. I didn’t feel totally in control, but I don’t think you can on this course. There are always holes that can bite you.”
In their final round battle, Broadhurst and Williams will be joined by China’s Lianwei Zhang, in third place on four under par, when their group tees-off at 11:45.
