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Matt Fitzpatrick Leads Scandinavian Invitation At Halfway Stage

By Matt Coles

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Matthew Fitzpatrick of England plays a shot from the 12th tee during the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 17, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Matthew Fitzpatrick of England plays a shot from the 12th tee during the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 17, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /
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Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick holds a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Scandinavian Invitation after consecutive rounds in the 60s at Hills Golf Club in Sweden.

Matt Fitzpatrick followed up his first-round 64 with a solid 65 on Friday, including a back nine of 29, as he sits at -11 after two days play.

Fitzpatrick’s 65 was not the best round of the second day’s action, though, as home favourite Henrik Stenson topped it, shooting a 62, his best round in the event.

After bogeying the first, the 2016 British Open champion then had nine birdies throughout the next 17 holes, including a run of six straight birdies, from the 8th to the 13th.

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He sits in a tie for 2nd, two shots back from the lead, alongside China’s Ashun Wu. The World No.294 followed up his first round of 67 with a 64 on Friday at Hills, which including a run of four straight birdies.

Joakim Lagergren doubles up the Swedish interest at the head of the field, sitting in a tie for 4th just three shots off the lead. He is joined by Jason Scrinever, with the Australian shooting 63 to jump up in the rankings.

Overnight leader Wade Ormsby could not follow up the wonderful first round of 62 with a second score in the red. Instead, the Australian shot a one-over-par round of 71, dropping into a tie for 6th.

He sits at -7, four back, alongside Frenchman Victor Perez, Malaysian Gavin Green and South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen at the halfway stage.

The English pan of Robert Rock and James Morrison are in the group tied for 10th, alongside Alexanders Bjork and Levy, and American Sihwan Kim.

Sebastian Soderberg, Jean Dantorp and Per Langfors all sit inside the top 35 in their home event, with the latter in a tie for 32nd, alongside Andrea Pavan. The Italian shot 74 on opening day in Gothenburg but followed it up with a 64 to jump back into the red and the weekend’s action.

David Nyfjall is the only amateur through to the final two rounds. The Swede sits at -1, in a tie for 46th, alongside compatriots Henric Sturehed, Rikard Karlberg, Anton Karlsson, and Alex Noren.

Noren, the two-time winner of the event, had to recover from a poor first round. He battled back to shoot 67 on the second day, which included this icy trip to the water.

Seven Englishman sit in that big group at -1, including the likes of Paul Waring, Lee Slattery, and Andy Sullivan, with the latter having shot 65 to move up the leaderboard on day two.

A total of 84 golfers are through to the weekend’s play in the Scandinavian Invitational, with 19 men sitting on the cut line at level par after two rounds,

They include Matthieu Pavon, whose 66 saved his week, while the likes Andrew Johnston, Edoardo Molinari, and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano have shot consecutive rounds of level-par 70.

Some big names have missed the cut, as well. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre shot 69 on the second day, but he fell just short at +1, while a 75 on Friday saw Benjamin Hebert plummet 84 places down the leaderboard and out of the event.

The Scandinavian pair of Thomas Bjorn and Robert Karlsson also drop out, both finishing the event at +4, while George Coetzee and Marc Warren shot 76 and 75, respectively, to fall spectacularly below the cut line in Gothenburg.

Saturday’s action gets underway at 06:45 local time (UTC+2), as Max Orrin and Austin Connelly take to the first tee. Matt Fitzpatrick and Henrik Stenson will play alongside each other for the third straight day, with the pair making up the final group, teeing off at 13:09.

Leaderboard:

  • 1 (-11): Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG)
  • T2 (-9): Ashun Wu (CHN), Henrik Stenson (SWE)
  • T4 (-8): Jason Scrinever (AUS), Joakim Lagergren (SWE)
  • T6 (-7): Wade Ormsby (AUS), Victor Perez (FRA), Gavin Green (MAS), Erik van Rooyen (RSA)
  • T10 (-6): Robert Rock (ENG), Sihwan Kim (USA), Alexander Bjork (SWE), Alexander Levy (FRA), James Morrison (ENG)

Selected Others:

  • T18 (-4): Haydn Porteous (RSA)
  • T22 (-3): Jamie Donaldson (WAL), Joost Luiten (NED)
  • T32 (-2): Andrea Pavan (ITA), Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL)
  • T46 (-1): David Nyfjall (A), Rikard Karlberg, Anton Karlsson, Alex Noren (all SWE), Andy Sullivan (ENG)
  • T66 (E): Matthieu Pavon (FRA), Andrew Johnston (ENG), Edoardo Molinari (ITA)

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Missed Cut:

  • T85 (+1): Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
  • T96 (+2): Benjamin Hebert (FRA), Adrian Otaegui (ESP)
  • T106 (+3): Andres Romero (ARG)
  • T114 (+4): Thomas Bjorn (DEN), Robert Karlsson (SWE)
  • T121 (+5): George Coetzee (RSA), Marc Warren (SCO)
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