Germany’s Tobias Dier continued his love affair with the Sleive Russell Hotel, Golf and Country Club to take the lead at the halfway stage of the North West of Ireland Open in County Cavan.
Dier, the course record holder, added a four under par 68 to his opening 66 to move to ten under par 134 and a shot clear of Welshman Stephen Dodd with Dutchman Robert Jan Derksen a further shot adrift.
For 12 holes Dier, who started at the tenth, struggled to find his rhythm but his swing suddenly clicked into place when he hit a nine iron to six feet to set up a birdie on the short fourth hole. When his seven iron approach to the next almost pitched in the hole he knew he was on a roll and duly picked a third successive birdie on the sixth.
“I didn’t play well the first 12 holes,” said the 24 year old from Nurnberg. “I thought I had lost my rhythm over the 16th, 17th, 18th and the first three holes of the front nine. But then made one good shot and thought that’s it. I was hitting it much better and made three birdies on the trot.
The shot which sparked it off was a nine iron down on the fourth hole, par three. Hit it to two metres and made the putt. Then hit a great shot on the next with a seven iron – almost pitched it in the hole. All of a sudden I knew how good shots should feel and played well from there on.”
Dier is leading a European Tour event at the halfway stage for the first time although he did lead this tournament last year with eight holes to play following his course record 65 in the third round.
“This is a new experience,” he added. “I’m very much looking forward to it. I’ve taken the smallest tournament first. It’s not like leading the British Open after two days but we will see.”
His nearest challenger is Dodd, the 1989 Amateur Champion. Dodd is currently lying in 124th place and needs a good week if he is to retain his European Tour card for next season. Dodd’s round of 68 including seven birdies and three bogeys has laid the foundation for him to challenge for the honours over the weekend.
“Getting the card is the aim every week,” he said. “Just need to finish as high as I can. Today I did things right, kept the ball in play and a 68 it was.”
Since turning professional in 1990 after a glittering amateur career in which he won the Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale and earned Walker Cup honours the same year, the 35 year old from Cardiff has won twice on the Challenge Tour but struggled to find his feet on The European Tour. Twice he has graduated from the Qualifying School – in 1998 and 2000 – but his highest finish on the Volvo Order of Merit was 140th in 1995.
“I feel like I have improved every year,” he said. “The results may not have shown that but I feel I have improved. That is what keeps me going. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t feel I could make the breakthrough.”
Derksen is another player looking to secure his place on The 2002 European Tour International Schedule this week. Currently lying in eighth place in the Challenge Tour Rankings, he has the chance to secure his card for next year with a high finish this week. He dropped his first shot of the week on the 18th hole when he three putted from 18 feet as he completed a round of 68 to move to eight under.
“That was bad at the end,” he said. “I hit my third where I wanted it but the first putt was bad and ran three feet past and I missed the putt back. Other than that I played well. I struggled a bit with the drives but got away with it.”
Mark Pilkington of Wales continued his good run of form which saw him finish a shot out of the play-off last week at Celtic Manor in fourth place as he posted a round of 69 to join Spain’s Jesus Maria Arruti, James Hepworth of England and Sweden’s Mattias Eliasson in the proup of players on seven under par.
The cut fell at level par 144 with 86 players qualifying for the final two rounds.
