Scott Hend will take a one-shot lead over South Africa’s Darren Fichardt into the weekend in the Omega European Masters at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.
Hend, last year’s playoff loser, produced a big finish on Friday, with four birdies in his last five holes helping him to a 63 – the same as Fichardt’s second-round effort – and a 13-under-par total at the halfway mark.
Fichardt won his fifth European Tour title earlier this season at the Joburg Open, but had made just two of nine cuts since before spectacularly finding his form in the Swiss mountains.
The 42-year-old birdied the seventh to turn in 34, and then holed a monster putt on the 11th before making the most of another par three on the 13th. A brilliant second set up an eagle on the par five 15th and he rolled in a 12-footer on the next before finishing with another gain as he stayed bogey-free for the week.
‘It has been pretty solid. I am just playing the course as it is,’ said Fichardt.
‘The first nine was very quiet. I only made one birdie on the seventh, but I started tearing it up heading into the back nine, which was quite nice. I am very happy with the way I am playing and very happy with where I lie. I am 12-under now and one behind Hend. It’s going to be fun. You just have to eliminate the mistakes out there.
‘The greens can really bite you if you’re missing on the wrong sides. You can make easy bogeys. You just need to think a lot out there, make the right shots at the right time, I guess. I just have to keep doing what I have been doing.
‘It’s obviously going to be a lot trickier with the expected rain tomorrow. You’ve got to hit it a little bit longer, but the course condition is pretty much the best I have seen so you shouldn’t be affected by the rain too much.’
Richard Sterne is the next-best South African after his second round 65 moved him into a share of ninth after 36 holes.
The highflying duo of Fichardt and Sterne are joined by big-hitting Dean Burmester (64 on Friday), last week’s winner in Prague, Haydn Porteous (69), Dylan Frittelli (71) and Justin Walters (70) in weekend action with Jbe Kruger, George Coetzee and Brandon Stone missing the cut.
Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
