European Tour: Several Brits in Contention at British Masters

Englishman Richard Bland is seeking his first European Tour win, but several of his countrymen are hot on the trail.

On a star-studded 36-hole leaderboard at the British Masters, an under-the-radar European Tour member leads the way thanks to a spectacular back nine performance.

Few would be surprised to see a Brit win this week, but not many expected world No. 126 Richard Bland to be first in line to pull it off at the halfway mark. Perhaps even more unexpected was his marvelous six-under-par 30 on the back nine on Friday, which brought him from the middle of the pack to owning a one-stroke lead after rounds of 67 and 64.

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Bland is hitting the ball beautifully as he attempts to notch his first European Tour win at the age of 43. The seasoned veteran ranks 13th in the field in average driving distance (307.0 yards) and T-11th in driving accuracy (78.6 percent), and he co-leads in greens in regulation.

Despite Bland’s lead, the pair of golfers trailing by just one have been pegged as the favorites to claim the trophy on Sunday.

Englishman Andrew Johnston co-leads the field with Bland in GIR, while Alex Noren is first in putts per GIR (1.525). The two are tied at 10-under and have both picked up professional wins within the last 45 days. Noren has played particularly well late in the season, piling up European Tour wins at the Scottish Open in July and at the European Masters in September to rise to No. 26 in the world.

Several other notables are in the mix, including Englishmen Chris Wood (68-66) and Tyrrell Hatton (last week’s champion at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, 68-66) at eight-under.

Much in need of a strong showing after a disappointing Ryder Cup performance and a missed cut at the Dunhill Links last week, Lee Westwood is playing well in his home country. He has circled eight birdies on the back nine this week, overcoming four bogeys to post scores of 67 and 68 and sit four back in a tie for 11th.

Playing in just his ninth European Tour event of the year, 49-year-old former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley is turning back the clock. He made his second cut of the season with rounds of 70 and 67, mostly thanks to a hot putter that has him fourth in the field in putts per round (26.5).

The defending champion, 22-year-old Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick, has turned in a nice British Masters title defense to this point. At two-under, he comfortably made the cut in a tie for 45th, but he’ll need a rally on moving day to have a chance at becoming the youngest player to defend at an event in European Tour history.

In total, seven players currently in the top 10, including ties, hail from Great Britain.

This is the British Masters’ first year at The Grove, site of the 2006 WGC-American Express Championship. Scoring conditions have been favorable, with cooperative weather treating the parkland-style golf course well so far in Chandlers Cross in Hertfordshire.

Next: PGA Tour: Looking Back at the 2016 Major Season

Can Richard Bland convert on his slim 36-hole lead for his first European Tour victory? Will Paul McGinley continue to turn back the clock with strong play on the weekend? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter, and keep it here for more coverage of the British Masters.