European Tour: Dredge Grabs 36-Hole Lead at Made in Denmark

Tom Lewis stole the show in the first round, but today was Bradley Dredge’s day. The Welshman shot a 66 to take a three-stroke lead at the European Tour’s Made in Denmark.

Through 36 holes, the main story from the Made in Denmark remains Tom Lewis’ foray into uncharted territory in round one. The Englishman, who has had mediocre results to this point in the European Tour season, may have fired a 62, but he was still left wondering what might have been. He reached 12-under-par through 13 holes and had a legitimate shot at adding his name to the growing list of golfers who have notched sub-60 scores within the past few weeks.

The memories of his failed bid will soon wash away, as the Made in Denmark will carry on with a new man atop the leaderboard.

Lewis shared the 18-hole lead with Joakim Lagergren and Thomas Pieters. Neither Lewis (72), Lagergren (70) nor Pieters (71) went low on Friday, opening the door for Bradley Dredge to surge ahead by three strokes heading into Saturday.

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The 43-year-old Welshman hasn’t finished in the top 10 since his co-runner-up finish at the Irish Open in May, but it should come as no surprise that he’s finding success at Himmerland.

Dredge is no stranger to success in this event — he finished second to Marc Warren in 2014 and tied for sixth last year. This year, after opening with rounds of 63 and 66, he’s set up for another high finish. This is only the third edition of the tournament, perhaps causing Dredge to wonder what his bank account would look like had it been around longer.

Lagergren, a 24-year-old Swede and Challenge Tour graduate, followed up his flawless first round with a respectable one-under-par 70 to land himself in tomorrow’s final pairing.

One of two players in a tie for third at nine-under is the flavor of the month, Thomas Pieters. The 24-year-old Belgian came close to reaching the Olympic podium in Rio and was a standout college player at Illinois. His recent play has him in the top 50 in the world and in the running to land one of three Ryder Cup captain’s picks. His chances may have gotten a boost, as playing partner and Team Europe captain Darren Clarke got to see Pieters’ rounds of 62 and 71 firsthand.

Richard Sterne, the other golfer at nine-under, is also capable of finding the winner’s circle. The South African has quietly racked up six career European Tour wins, and if he can continue to devour the par-5s like he has thus far (six-under in six holes), he could pick up his seventh.

The crowds in Farso were some of the largest in European Tour history, and they can still hold out some hope that one of their native sons will come out on top.

Jeff Winther, a 28-year-old rookie, found himself in an unfamiliar situation at last week’s D+D Real Czech Masters. Winther co-led with Pieters after 36 holes, but he showed some nerves on the weekend, finishing with scores of 73 and 77 to tumble to a tie for 27th.

Now equipped with the invaluable experience of playing in a final group and the backing of his home fans this week, Winther has the game to make up the six shots that separate him from Dredge.

World No. 45 Soren Kjeldsen was a pre-tournament favorite — not only for the home turf advantage, but also for a fine season that’s included four top 10 finishes, including a T9 at The Open Championship.

Sitting in a tie for seventh through 36 holes, he’s on pace to notch a fifth. A strong final 36 could put a Denmark-red cherry on top of this sundae of a season for Kjeldsen, who’s resurrected his career over the past couple of years.

The fast starts from Winther and Kjeldsen might not even be the most impressive Danish feats through the first two rounds. John Axelson, an 18-year-old amateur, was one of eight Danes to make the cut and is tied for 41st at one-under.

Some other notables to make the cut include Jamie Donaldson (T18, -5), Martin Kaymer (T27, -3), Shane Lowry and Y.E. Yang (T33, -2) and Paul Peterson (T40, -1).

A few big names that missed the cut include Ryder Cuppers Matthew Fitzpatrick (+2) and Andy Sullivan (+3), as well as captain Clarke (+5).

Next: Ryder Cup: Here's Who Darren Clarke Should Pick for Team Europe

Will Dredge hang on to win? Will a Dane make a run at the title? Share your thoughts in the comments and check back with Pro Golf Now for more European Tour updates.