Dunne in Mix as Hoey is Cut

Paul Dunner - Getty Images

Paul Dunne signed for a second round 69 at the Shenzen International on Friday for a third place ahead of the weekend but some six shots adrift of the leader Soomin Lee.

Lee has yet to drop a shot at Genzon Golf Club after adding a bogey-free 65 to his opening 66 to finish 13 under par, three shots clear of the in-form Joost Luiten, who recorded a 66.

Dunne, sits three shots back alongside South Africa’s Brandon Stone after he carded rounds a 70.

More than five hours of play had been lost due to two separate thunderstorms, meaning the second round would not be completed on schedule, with 12 groups not even getting their rounds under way.

Lee had shared the overnight lead on six under with France’s Alexander Levy and carried on where he left off on Friday, starting on the back nine and carding five birdies to race to the turn in 31.

The 22-year-old also birdied the first and although he was briefly joined in the lead by Luiten, the Dutchman dropped two shots in the last five holes and a birdie on the ninth extended Lee’s advantage.

Luiten, whose second place in the Spanish Open last week was his fifth top-10 finish in eight events this season, had also started on the back nine and eagled the short par-four 11th before adding four birdies in a row from the 15th.

The world number 64 also birdied the second and fourth to join Lee on 12 under par, but dropped his first shot of the day on the difficult fifth and also bogeyed the eighth after failing to get up and down from an awkward lie on the edge of a greenside bunker.

Former Ryder Cup star Victor Dubuisson had found an unusual way to celebrate his 26th birthday, the Frenchman withdrawing from the event during the second suspension of play citing a hand injury.

Dubuisson was two under for his round and three under for the tournament after 10 holes, but had hit his tee shot deep into the trees on the par-five second before the players were called off the course.

Michael Hoey missed the cut despite a seconf rounf 71 after having carded a 76 on Thursday.

Paul Dunne Fires 68 in Shenzen

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Paul Dunne signed for an opening 68 at the Shenzhen International and carding five birdies with just one loss on Thursday in China.

Dunne joins Spain’s Eduardo de la Riva, Holland’s Joost Luiten and French duo Raphael Jacquelin and Gary Stal in joint fourth after his 68.

Michael Hoey started off at the tenth and reached the turn with two double bogeys on his card leaving him four over par 76 for the day and a fight on his hands on Friday to stay in touch for the weekend.

Dropped shots either side of the turn completed is round with a birdie 4 on his 11th (the 2nd) and another at the last - hole nine - limited nay further damage.

Alexander Levy and South Korea’s Soomin Lee share the clubhouse lead after a weather-affected opening day on Thursday.

Levy, who also led the Spanish Open with a first-round 66 last week before going on to finish 14th at Valderrama, carded six birdies and no bogeys at Genzon Golf Club to set the clubhouse target on six under par.

Lee then completed his own flawless 66 just before play was suspended for the day due to darkness, a knock-on effect of an earlier 45-minute delay caused by the threat of lightning.

The first round is scheduled to resume at 0650 local time in Friday, with South Africa’s Brandon Stone just a shot off the lead with one hole to play.

Levy, who carded a 62 at the same venue en route to his first European Tour title in the Volvo China Open in 2014, started on the back nine and raced to the turn in 31 with three birdies and an eagle on the par-five 17th.

Another birdie on the first took the 25-year-old to six under par and in sight of equalling his own course record, but the world number 110 had to settle for eight pars and an error-free scorecard.

“It’s always nice to shoot under par,” Levy told European Tour Radio.

“I have some very good memories here and it’s nice to play this course where you had your first win. I played good last week, a few bad rounds with the wind but I feel my game is in good shape and I played solid today like the last round in Valderrama.

“I gained some confidence the last few weeks and it’s nice to play a golf course you like. I know the way you need to play well here and it was a perfect day for me.

“Valderrama was really tough and I used a lot of energy on that. This week I don’t practice a lot, I just walk the course, play the pro-am and to shoot six under today was really good.”

England’s Tommy Fleetwood who feels he has some “unfinished business” in the event after missing out on the play-off by a single shot 12 months ago, carded four birdies and one bogey in his fourth consecutive round of 69.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay was challenging for the lead at five under par after 13 holes before a hat-trick of bogeys from the 14th, but stopped the rot with a birdie on the 17th to also finish three under.

Stephen Gallacher recovered from a double bogey on the 15th with birdies on the next two holes to record a two-under-par 70 in his first tournament since February after undergoing hand surgery.

Defending champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat and two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson could only manage matching rounds of 71

Lawrie Facing Q School Trip

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Peter Lawrie missed the cut after shooting a second round 72 at the Portugal Masters and now set to lose his European Tour card and his automatic playing rights for next season.

Lawrie now needs a sponsor’s invitation to next week’s Hong Kong Open and needs to win enough money to move himself into the top 110 places in the Race to Dubai to avoid the dreaded trip to Q-School in Spain next month.

Mount Juliet’s Kevin Phelan will need a good weekend performance to avoid the same fate.

Phelan, who came through Q-School to earn his card in 2013, made the cut on the mark (one under par) but will need to go low over the weekend to earn enough prize money to move from 126th into the top 10. Even the weather looks to be against the 24-year-old however – heavy rain forecast over the weekend has put into doubt whether there will even be the full 72 holes played. If the tournament was shortened to, say, 54 holes, then the prize money would be reduced.

Paul Dunne and Padraig Harrington will join Phelan over the weekend with both players sitting 12 shots off the lead on two under par.

It is Dunne’s third and last sponsor’s invite of the season as he looks to add to the €80,000 he’s won already before heading to Spain next month to compete for the 25 tour cards on offer.

Darren Clarke and Michael Hoey both finished a long way off the cut-mark.

Damien McGrane still leads the Irish charge, despite a one over par 73 today. The Meath golfer sits on three under par, 11 shots behind tournament leader Andy Sullivan.

Severe storms with 50mph-plus winds are predicted for late Saturday morning and organisers have taken the rare decision to hold a shotgun start — groups teeing off on all 18 holes from 8am — in an attempt to get day three completed.

Sullivan, who began the day tied with Nicolas Colsaerts on seven under, is currently sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard after a second successive 64 moved him to 14 under and three shots clear of Belgian Thomas Pieters, who carded a 66 and is also looking for his third win of the season.

However, there is plenty of scope for that to change if the forecast at Oceanico Victoria Golf Club turns out to be accurate.

“Due to the extremely poor weather forecast for the next two days it has been decided that the best chance of completing the third round is to schedule a shotgun start from 8am on Saturday,” said a statement from the European Tour.

“All parties have agreed to this in the best interests of the tournament.”

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Ambassador Hoey Cut

Michael Hoey birdied two of his final three holes but his two under par total that was not enough to make the cut, missing by one shot.

The event ambassador hit a double bogey on his twelfth hole and finished 10 shots behind leader Emilio Cuartero Blanco.

It's the third year in a row Hoey has failed to make the cut in the event.

Blanco shot a second successive round of 65 at Galgorm Castle to lead by one shot on 12 under par at the halfway point of the Northern Ireland Open in Association with Sphere Global and Ulster Bank.

The 24 year old, bidding to become Spain’s third European Challenge Tour winner this season after Nacho Elvira and Borja Virto Astudillo, did not drop a shot all day while adding six birdies to the eight made in his opening round and leads from John Hahn and leading Irishman Niall Turner.

Cuartero Blanco’s previous best finish this season was a tie for ninth in the curtain-raising Barclays Kenya Open but he has quickly found his best form in front of the Northern Irish crowds at one of the best-attended events on the Challenge Tour.

“I played really solid golf again today,” he said. “I didn’t make any mistakes like the two bogeys I had yesterday, and I can’t really complain about anything. I felt strong mentally and played really well for the second day running, so I’m very happy.

“I’m hitting good fairway shots and then off the tee I’m just staying out of trouble, because on this course you can find trouble at any time.

“But I’m especially happy with my mental game. I’m really focused on every shot, I don’t have birdies in my head, it’s just clear and it’s helping me play good golf.

A local player told me 'this is Northern Ireland's only day of summer, so you'd better enjoy it!'

“I got a tip from Nacho on Wednesday afternoon when I was practising my putting. He told me my putting stroke looked really fast and that I should slow it down a little bit and after that I hit through the line better, better speed on my putts as well, so thank you Nacho!

“Conditions were perfect today. I was playing with Gary Wardlow, a local player, and I asked him how many days of summer do they get like this one, and he said ‘one, so you’d better enjoy it!’ I don’t think we could play this course in better conditions really, it’s perfect.

“We’ve only done two days and actually now, we have the hard work to come. I just need to enjoy the course, try to play well, and then on Sunday we will see.”

Hahn, co-leader after round one, needs a good finish to boost his Road to Oman Ranking, where he currently sits in 77th after just one top five finish this season, at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge.

The 26 year old American came through Qualifying School in 2013 to earn a place on The European Tour but insists he is not looking too far ahead at this point, despite his great start here.

“I’m just trying to have fun,” he said. “I wasn’t doing that for a while but I’m just trying to enjoy myself on the golf course now.

“I’ve got no expectations or goals on myself for this week, my only goal would be to maybe get in contention and see how I deal with that.

“My pairing for the first two days, with James Heath and Ross McGowan, was perfect, I’m quite chatty on the course and they made me really comfortable.

“Momentum is a big thing here and I carried some into today so hopefully I can keep that going through the weekend.”

Turner has only recently returned from a long-term back injury but has found form in front of the Irish crowds and is keen to make up for lost time.

“I’ve had a long time waiting to get back out here,” he said. “It’s been a complete nightmare to be honest so to be back now and in contention is fantastic, I couldn’t have wished for anything more.”

One shot further back are Scotland’s Jamie McLeary (pictured above), third here in 2013 and now 21 under par for his last four rounds at Galgorm Castle, and Frenchman Sebastien Gros, currently second in the Road to Oman Rankings.

Daan Huizing (pictured below), another of the co-leaders after the first round and winner of this event in 2013, is well within striking distance on nine under par alongside Australian Scott Arnold.

Northern Ireland’s own Gareth Shaw gave the home fans something to cheer about by firing the low round of the week so far, a seven under par 64 helping him to make the cut after a shaky opening round of 73.

Chris Selfridge trumped Shaw to be the leading Northern Irishman heading into the weekend after the 23 year old carded a five under 66 to sit four off the pace on eight under.

Tournament Ambassador Michael Hoey birdied two of his final three holes but his two under par total that was not enough to make the cut, missing by one shot.

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Galgorm 66 for Gros

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Sebastien Gros credited the friendly atmosphere in his group for inspiring him and his two playing partners, Haydn Porteous and Simon Thornton, to a combined total of 16 under on the opening morning of the Northern Ireland Open in Association with Sphere Global and Ulster Bank.

The Frenchman, currently second in the Road to Oman Rankings, shot a five under par round of 66, the same as Irishman Thornton, while South African Porteous was one shot better still and tied for the lead, making the three-ball an aggregate 16 under through round one at Galgorm Castle.

The 25 year old from Lyon has been in sensational form this season, notching a win at his home Najeti Open Presented by Neuflize OBC as well as three other top five finishes, and was happy to take advantage of benign conditions in the early stages of the first round to put himself in contention for another strong finish.

“It does make it easier when your playing partners are also playing well,” he said. “There was a really nice spirit in our game, all three of us were very friendly, and I think it’s more the fact that the two others are so friendly that helps you play well.

“Low scoring is always good but it didn’t really feel like we were going low, it was more the attitude of all three of us that was good and probably helped us all feel more comfortable and play as well as we did.

Conditions were perfect today, compared to yesterday especially. I’m very happy with the weather this morning, now I hope it doesn’t stay like that for the rest of the day!

“I’m delighted with the start I’ve made because this course is not easy so it’s always good to get an under par score.

“You have to drive the ball pretty well around here, and the greens are not very well defended, so if you put yourself in good positions off the tee you won’t have too many long shots in.

“There are a few key holes to get through but the wind was kind this morning, but the key is just to hit the fairways and then scoring can come slightly easier.

“I’m very happy with my season so far. I’ve had a few mistakes in my attitude in the last few weeks, where I’ve had good first rounds but not good finishes because I’ve started going a bit crazy in trying to get under par rounds when I’ve made a fast start.

“Hopefully I won’t make the same mistake this week, just try to focus on the easiest things to do.

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Oman Road for McGee

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Ruaidhri McGee, the highest-ranked Irishman in the Road to Oman Rankings, is hoping that home comforts can drive him to a maiden European Challenge Tour title at this week’s Northern Ireland Open in Association with Sphere Global and Ulster Bank.

The 24 year old has recorded four top ten finishes this season, including a runner-up at the Challenge de Madrid in April and a share of third place at June’s KPMG Trophy, but is yet to register that elusive first victory on the European Challenge Tour.

McGee lives an hour from Galgorm Castle, which is this week hosting the third edition of the best-attended event on the schedule and so will have the rare pleasure of sleeping at home during tournament week.

Having suffered the disappointment of being forced to retire midway through his opening round last year due to illness, the Derryman is relishing the opportunity to return on the back of his good progress this year.

“It will be nice to sleep in my own bed and there is always great support so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

“It was really unfortunate last year. I was really looking forward to playing this event. It was shaping up to be a good week and then I got sick. I tried to play - I played six holes - but I couldn’t hit the ball at all. It wasn’t great but I didn’t have a choice at the time.

I'm looking forward to getting back to Galgorm - it's definitely the best tournament of the year for crowds

“I’m looking forward to getting back there now, being healthy and giving it a go. Galgorm is a place that I’ve played at a lot of times.

“It’s a great course, really nice, and it’s tight as well so I think it suits my game. The greens are really good too so it’s a good setup there. I’ve had a few good rounds there in the past so I have good memories.

“It’s a great tournament, the crowds make it – I think it’s definitely the best tournament of the year for that. It feels like a European Tour event and it’s great to play in front of so many people in that atmosphere.”

McGee has struggled with a dip in form in the last month or so and he admits that, having got off to a flying start – at one point reaching third place in the Road to Oman Rankings, he did find himself worrying too much about where he stood on the year-long list at the conclusion of each week.

“I think you end up checking the Rankings out after every tournament to see where you’ve moved to but I think it’s easily done,” he said. “It’s just natural, but I’m going to try and do my best now not to look at it and just look at it in November.

“I feel like I’m playing well, I’m just trying to forget about the Rankings now and get back to playing. Hopefully now I can hole a few putts and get a good strong finish to the year.”

McGee is joined by a host of home stars from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including five-time European Tour winner and this week’s Tournament host Michael Hoey.

He is joined by fellow former European Tour winners Damien McGrane and Simon Thornton, as well as Rhys Davies and Phillip Price of Wales, Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik, Dane Jeppe Pape Huldahl and Englishmen Nick Dougherty, Kenneth Ferrie and Ross McGowan.

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Hoey Trails Espana in El Prat

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Michael Hoey carded a second round 68 at the Open de España in El Prat, Barcelona, to reaching the half-way stage two strokes behind Edouard Espana.

Hoey got his day off to a perfect start with a birdie three at the first hole before adding two more at the fifth and the seventh to go out in 33.

Another birdie at the 10th and it looked like the Northern Irishman might catch first round leader Trevor Fisher at the top of the leaderboard. However his good run was stunted by consecutive bogies at the 11th and 12th holes.

A strong finish gave way to birdies at the 15th and 16th to post 68 and leave him tied third on five under par, with Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez one shot better off in second spot.

France’s Espana overcame strong winds which sent scores soaring in the afternoon to card a second round of 69 and finish seven under par at El Prat.

Jimenez had been four under following birdies on the second and fifth with his ninth European Tour ace – equalling the record of Colin Montgomerie – on the eighth, but came home in 39 to card a 71 and finish one under.

The 51-year-old, who is known for his love of cigars and red wine, at least had the consolation of winning 288 bottles of beer for his hole-in-one, which came when his six-iron pitched around 15 feet short of the pin and rolled perfectly into the hole.

Espana, 25, who graduated from the Challenge Tour last season, told European Tour Radio: “Leading the open with my name everywhere is very cool.

“I played really good today, it was very windy so it was tough to control distance and the putting was tough too but I played very well and I am really happy. My family is from Spain so that’s why my name is Espana. My cousins are here this week so it’s really good.

“It’s completely different (on the European Tour), the level of tournaments are higher so I have to improve my game, my level to play good on tour and I try but it’s difficult so we will see at the end of the week if I keep going.

“It’s tough because there are a lot of good players, the courses are really good and difficult so you have to play well and focus on your game.”

The strong afternoon winds meant pre-tournament favourite Sergio Garcia avoided a first missed cut in 11 appearances in the event, the world number seven having added a second round of 72 to his opening 75.

“I didn’t feel I played that badly,” said Garcia, who was a shot outside the projected cut after finishing his round with two birdies in the last six holes and a par save from a greenside bunker on the last.

“It was a great week last week with everything that happened (losing a play-off in the Players Championship). It takes it out of you, but it’s no excuse. You just try your best and hope it’s good enough.”

After discovering he had survived with a shot to spare, the 35-year-old later wrote on Twitter: “2 tough days to start the #OpendeEspana but at least I’ll have the opportunity to play the weekend and have a chance! Will need great golf!”

Gonzalez had set the early clubhouse target on six under par thanks to a second consecutive 69, the 45-year-old bouncing back from a double bogey on the 17th with a birdie on the last.

“I hit a bad tee shot on 17 and then I tried to hit the green, which was a big mistake, so I paid for it,” Gonzalez said. “I made a good six and then I said to my caddie: ‘I need to make a good birdie on 18’. I played two great shots to the green and and that gives me a lot of confidence for tomorrow.”

South Africa’s Darren Fichardt is alongside Hoey on five under after a disappointing 73.

Fichardt carded a superb 66 in the tougher afternoon conditions on Thursday and moved into a two-shot lead with a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth, but dropped four shots in the space of six holes from the 10th to come home in 40.

Overnight leader and fellow South African Trevor Fisher fared even worse, carding a 78 to drop back to one under.

Peter Lawrie signed for a three-over 75 to finish on five over, and outside the mark.

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Hoey Sole Survivor in Shenzen

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Michael Hoey carded a round of 71 in the second round of the Shenzhen International at Genzon Golf Club on Friday.

Hoey went into the second day two over par after an opening round of 74 but birdies on the second and seventh followed by a very steady back nine saw him card a one under par round  and tied for 49th place.

Damien McGrane signed for four bogeys on the back nine, including the 14th, 15th and 16th, finishing in a share of 73rd spot and missed the cut.

Peter Lawrie carded rounds of 74 and a 75 and was also on the wrongside of the cutline.

Kevin Phelan finished a shot further back on six over par after carding a 76 and so will see no weekend action.

It was Kiradech Aphibarnrat who exploited fine conditions to storm into the lead.

The Thai started day three on eight under par, a shot behind leader Peter Uihlein, but birdied six of his first nine holes to sit 12 under half way through his round, two shots ahead of the American and Pablo Larrazabal, who was seven under for the day going into the closing holes.

Aphibarnrat, having coped well with Friday’s gusts, followed a series of sweet putts with a sensational approach to the sixth for another gain.

Spaniard Larrazabal was on course for a 65, a score already made by China’s Li Hao-tong, who is among a group of seven under, one behind Emiliano Grillo of Argentina.

Li, aged 19, played alongside two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson for the first time and said: “He's pretty nice guy, so I very much enjoyed playing with him.

“I hit a lot of greens and made a lot of birdies. I was pretty lucky also.”

Watson, who started the day on level par but went round in two over, praised Li, saying: “He's hitting the ball really well. He's making a lot of putts. The key around a golf course is a lot of putts and he made a lot of putts today.”

Richie Ramsay had looked like beating Li to a score of seven under but the Scot dropped his only shot of the day with a bogey at 18, a par four, for a 66 that left him five under overall. 

Ramsay’s exceptional round matched the best of the week from Huang Wen-yi, whose equally impressive effort earned him the lead at the end of day one, but Li went one better than both.

Ramsay said: “I played lovely all day. I didn't really sort of hole that many putts. I just hit it close quite a few times. I’m a little disappointed to bogey the last but it's not an easy hole, and I just pushed my tee shot and I had to lay up. I hit a lovely putt that hit the edge.”

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Hoey leads Irish in Morocco

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Michael Hoey lies five shots off the lead after the first round of Trophee Hassan II in Morocco.

Kevin Phelan joins Hoey on two under.

The Belfast player, who won the tournament in 2012, carded four birdies and two bogeys to record a two under-par 70 and lie in a share of 22nd spot.

Gareth Maybin has work to do to make the cut as he is tied 78th on two over.

Peter Lawrie and Damien McGrane are struggling on four over after Thursday;s opening round.

France’s Adrian Saddier shone on only his second European Tour start of the season to take a one shot lead after the opening round of the Trophee Hassan II.

Saddier lost his full playing privileges after finishing 127th on The Race to Dubai last year and missed the cut on his only previous appearance in 2015 at the Joburg Open.

But after chipping in for eagle on Golf du Palais Royal’s first hole, the 22 year old added five birdies in a flawless seven under par 65.

That was one clear of England’s Daniel Gaunt, who had a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th before bogeying the last in a 66.

South African George Coetzee, one of a number of players in the field needing a big week to qualify for next month’s Masters Tournament, Scotland’s David Drysdale and England’s Chris Wood all lie two off the pace on five under.

“I’m very happy - I was very grateful to get an invite to play here,” said Saddier, who handed his invite back when his status snuck him into the field on Monday.

“This place is just unbelievable. I played very solid today - I had a chip in for eagle on the first then another chip in on six, so it was a great start and I kept it going.

“I just have a little category on The European Tour so I will be focused on The Challenge Tour this year. 

“I played last week in Madeira and although the tournament was cancelled I was playing well in the strong wind so I’m in good shape for this week.

“It’s almost my best round; I shot 64 in Qatar last year, which was eight under, so this is one of my best rounds. 

“If I could get a win it would change my schedule as at the moment I’m playing on the Challenge Tour - I just need to focus on each shot now and see what happens.”

Coetzee and Marcel Siem kept their hopes of qualifying for the Masters Tournament very much alive.

Both men have the daunting task of knowing only a victory in Morocco would be enough to book a trip to Augusta National for the first Major Championship of the year.South Africa's Coetzee carded a 67, one shot ahead of Siem.

Siem led from start to finish here in 2013 and looked to have done enough to climb into the Official World Golf Ranking's top 50 and secure his Masters debut.

However, after the results of the Houston Open were taken into consideration a few hours later, the 34 year old discovered he was ranked 51st and had missed out by just 0.03 points.

"It's a big week for me and four under is a good start," Siem said.

"I'm really excited about playing the Masters, I've never played it. I finished it off two years ago and still did not get in. It was a little horrible.

"I'm going to keep doing what I did today, try hard not to make any stupid mistakes. I have got the experience and I know the golf course. I will make enough birdies I reckon....just (need to) avoid the mistakes."

Siem and Coetzee were not the only members of the field with Georgia on their minds, with Alexander Levy, Andy Sullivan, Tommy Fleetwood and Ross Fisher all having chances to move into the top 50 before Monday's deadline.

World number 54 Levy needs to finish in a two-way tie for second or better, while Sullivan has to match his runners-up finish from last year or claim his third European Tour title of the season to move up from 61st.

Fleetwood and Fisher both need to win, but the latter got off to a terrible start with two double bogeys in his first three holes and carded a 77 which was matched by defending champion Alejandro Cañizares.

Fleetwood completed a two under 70, Levy went round in level par and Sullivan was two over for the day.

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