After taming Kingsbarns on the first day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to lead by two shots overnight, Branden Grace will be looking for more of the same when he takes on the Old Course at St Andrews in his second round on Friday.
On another crisp and clear morning on the east coast of Scotland, played resumed at 0900 on the links of Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews after what was a low scoring affair on Thursday thanks to benign conditions.
Despite shooting a new course record of 60 across Kingsbarns in a flawless first round that featured ten birdies and an eagle, South African Grace only secured a narrow lead thanks to the equally impressive efforts of Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, who also broke the course record on the Old Course on Thursday with a superb ten under par 62.
An entirely different proposition lies in wait for the 22 year old Cannes man on Friday, however, as he travels up the coast to the testing Carnoustie Championship Course – widely regarded as the most challenging layout of the three – for his second round, which began with a bogey at the tenth.
Grace, meanwhile, will certainly be one to keep an eye on as he looks to continue his fine form on the scoreable Old Course from 11.01.
Sweden’s Alex Noren, who shot 64 at St Andrews on Thursday, ensured the gap remained at two shots thanks to an early eagle on the 12th hole at Carnoustie, while compatriot Fredrik Andersson-Hed also moved to within three of the Pretoria golfer’s lead thanks to a birdie at the first hole of the Angus links.
At St Andrews, a third Swede also moved into the tie for third at nine under par as Joel Sjoholm made back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth as the second morning progressed.
