Dyson well placed to prosper

YORKSHIRE’S Simon Dyson goes into the weekend in Hilversum still very much in contention to land a third KLM Open title.

Twice a winner at the event, the Malton golfer – joint overnight leader after the first round – finished last night tied in fourth spot alongside James Kingston and Gary Orr with seven holes of his second round remaining.

The 33-year-old birdied the second and 11th holes, although a bogey on the sixth left him one under for the day, two shots behind joint-leaders Stephen Dodd and Marcel Siem, who also have to finish their second rounds.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The tournament is still striving to make up for the time lost on Thursday – first to the vandalism on four greens and then to flooding.

Dodd, now 45, and down at 146th on this season’s money list, leapt out of the pack with four birdies and an eagle in his first 10 holes. He will have five to play on the resumption while Siem has seven to go.

On eight under par they were a shot in front of clubhouse leader Shiv Kapur, the Indian adding a 67 to his 66 earlier in the day.

Lurking just three strokes back was Rory McIlroy after the 22-year-old Northern Irishman fired a second-round 65 to improve from 42nd to seventh.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

World No 2 Lee Westwood was also in the hunt and would have matched his Ryder Cup team-mate’s 135 aggregate but for a late three-putt bogey in his 66.

“I don’t feel I drove the ball particularly well,” said McIlroy. “There were a couple of loose shots and I got some lucky breaks.”

Like McIlroy, Westwood had four birdies in seven holes on the back nine, but his only gain on the outward half was a two on the short fifth and his dropped shot came two holes later.

Defending champion Martin Kaymer looked certain to miss the halfway cut. Double-bogey sixes on the sixth and seventh left him six over with seven holes remaining.