The second day of the Euram Bank Open at GC Adamstal in Austria has ended with Jamie Rutherford, Frank Kennedy, and Pietro Bovari sharing the lead, each standing at nine under par.
They are just one stroke ahead of German Marc Hammer, Frenchman Martin Couvra, and Irishman Ronan Mullarney.
Starting his round on the tenth hole, Englishman Jamie Rutherford managed to overcome a shaky start to finish strong.
He carded birdies on the 12th and 18th holes, coupled with two bogeys, to turn level par.
Rutherford then fired up his game on the back nine with four birdies and a closing eagle from the ninth fairway, culminating in a stunning six under 64.
The 29-year-old, who has been on a roll with consecutive top-ten finishes at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge and Blot Open de Bretagne, expressed his satisfaction with the round’s finish:
“I started poorly,” he admitted. “I hit a couple of really poor tee shots, but managed to keep myself there or thereabouts.
Then I holed a few really nice putts to start my back nine and played nice coming in. I holed out on the last, which is a bit of a bonus.
I just hit a soft nine iron cutting towards the flag, it pitched three yards past it and spun back. It was a nice way to finish.
Definitely, the last month I feel my game has been heading in the right direction. I’ve had some nice results and played some really good golf… so hopefully I can carry it on.”
Eighteen-year-old compatriot Frank Kennedy showcased his precision off the tee, recording five birdies against a single bogey to finish with a four-under 66. Kennedy emphasised the importance of straight hitting in his performance:
“I’ve hit it very straight the past two days,” he said. “It’s always nice being in the fairway going into these greens.
I need to tighten up the wedges a little bit and maybe a few more birdies will come, but overall, pretty happy with how I’m playing going into tomorrow.
Tomorrow I’ll have the same strategy as I went out with today and just hopefully a few more putts go in. I’ve just got to stay focused and hopefully I can go low.”
Italian golfer Pietro Bovari matched Rutherford’s round with a bogey-free 64, featuring six birdies, including four on-par threes.
Bovari praised the course, noting how well it suits his game: “I love this course,” he declared.
“It suits my game very well. I think not hitting driver off the tee hasn’t bothered me as much as it has some other guys.
I’ve been relying much more on my wedge game, placing tee shots on the correct part of the fairway and taking the challenge on from there.
I’ll try to keep trusting the process, doing my routine, and focusing on every shot as much as the last.”
Sharing seventh place at seven under par are Italian Aron Zemmer, Englishman Alfie Plant, Norwegian Herman Sekne, Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner, and Frenchman Julien Sale, who achieved the lowest round of the day with a seven-under 63.
As the tournament progresses into the weekend, the third round will commence at 9:05 am, with the leaders Rutherford, Kennedy, and Bovari scheduled to tee off at 11:05 am.
The competition promises to be fierce as these golfers aim to maintain their lead and secure victory at the Euram Bank Open.
