Jack McDonald and Lucas Bjerregaard share a one-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A.
Scotsman McDonald took advantage of calm early morning conditions to card four birdies in his first seven holes, and despite a pair of dropped shots around the turn, added gains at the fourth and seventh holes.
He set the clubhouse target at nine under par, before Bjerregaard posted a sensational bogey-free 64 to join him at the top of the leaderboard at Newmachar Golf Club.
McDonald was pleased with his round of 67, which was underpinned by a good day with the putter.
“I played nice,” he said. “I holed a couple of nice putts early, hit it close on 14 and managed to birdie 16. I tried to push on a bit and I had two birdies on the way in, so I was pleased with that.
“My pace putting was really good and I holed out well, which made up for a couple of loose shots that I hit. I feel as if when the putter’s going well everything kind of clicks, so it was good for that to happen.
“It was tricky because the wind was gusting quite a lot, but I played solid, so hopefully it will keep going.”
Bjerregaard arrived in Scotland following consecutive top ten finishes on the Road to Mallorca and was delighted to see his good form continue amid blustery conditions on day two.
“I’m very pleased,” the Dane said. “It wasn’t easy out there as the wind was on and off all day. The greens were a little bit softer today but downwind they’re still very firm and you had to land it short and be disciplined.
“I played pretty well at the start of the year in India, then didn’t play for two months with an injury. It took me a little while to get going, but I’ve been working at it for quite a while now, so it’s very nice to see some positive rounds like today.
“It’s always fun being in contention. I’ve gained a lot of confidence over these last couple of weeks, so I hope I can continue that and have a good weekend.”
South African Deon Germishuys shares third place with Denmark’s Hamish Brown and Englishman Brandon Robinson-Thompson, while Frenchman Pierre Pineau, Italy’s Enrico Di Nitto and Dane John Axelsen are a shot further back in sixth.
The third round of the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A gets under way at 8:00am local time, with McDonald and Bjerregaard teeing it up alongside Robinson-Thompson at 12:19pm.
