Matthew Jordan used all of his links pedigree to card a wonderful bogey free 64 at St Andrews and take a one shot lead into the weekend at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The Englishman announced himself on the European Tour back in May when he carded a 63 to lead the way after round one of the Betfred British Masters and he continued to impress against an elite field in Scotland.
That week at Hillside Golf Club was Jordan’s last European Tour appearance but in the months since he has gained his maiden European Challenge Tour win at the Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil and currently sits fifth on the Road to Mallorca.
The tournament invite learned the game on the links of Royal Liverpool and has amateur victories at the Lytham Trophy and over the Old Course at the St Andrews Links Trophy.
He has taken that links mastery into the paid ranks and moved to 14 under on day two in Scotland, a shot ahead of fellow Challenge Tour player Calum Hill, Swede Joakim Lagergren – who carded the lowest round of the week so far with a 62 – and England’s Matthew Southgate.
Major champion Justin Rose turned in a stunning 28 en route to a 64 that moved him to 12 under alongside fellow Englishman Jordan Smith, Scottish pair Russell Knox and Richie Ramsay, New Zealander Ryan Fox and Frenchman Victor Perez.
‘Now I’m in this position, I want to make sure I kick on and take care of my golf,’ said Jordan.
“I had one more invite and gave myself the luxury of thinking, ‘try and play this because of the field, prize money, links golf, which I love’. So I just asked my managers and tried to sort it out because I really wanted to play it and I absolutely love this place.”
After some early jostling at the top of the leaderboard, there was a seven way tie for the lead and Jordan, Hill, Rose, Smith and Southgate were all part of it.
Rose was taking a run at history as he birdied the second, eagled the third and then made further gains on the fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth at Kingsbarns to turn in 28 and get to 12 under.
Hill also reached that mark on the Old Course with birdies on the first, third, seventh, ninth, 11th and 12th, while Smith sandwiched a bogey on the ninth at Carnoustie with gains on the third, fifth, tenth, 11th and 12th.
Jordan had started with two pars but an eagle two on the par four third ignited his round, and he birdied his next five holes to jump into the solo lead.
After a bogey on the 13th, Smith hit the top of the leaderboard with a monster putt for eagle on the next but he bogeyed the 15th as he signed for a 68.
Jordan left himself ten feet for a two shot lead on the 13th but when Hill left himself a birdie putt from similar range on the last for a 65, the advantage was back to just one.
Lagergren had started the day six shots off the lead at Kingsbarns but turned in 33 with birdies on the 11th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th, and continued to stalk with gains on the second, third and fifth.
Another gain on the eighth had him within one and a two putt birdie from just off the green at the par five ninth saw him equal the lowest round of his European Tour career.
Birdies on the second and third had put Southgate in the early logjam after he turned in 33 with four birdies and a bogey at Kingsbarns, but a dropped shot on the fourth dropped him back before he eagled the short par four sixth to get into a tie for second.
Rose’s dreams of a 59 evaporated after a poor chip led to a double bogey on the 11th but he bounced back with three further gains and one more dropped shot in a 64.
Perez and Fox matched Smith with a 68, Knox carded a 66 and Ramsay signed for a 67.
Tony Finau, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Andrea Pavan, Tapio Pulkkanen, Kristoffer Reitan and Paul Waring were three shots off the lead.
In the team event, Berry Henson and Liam Botham were at the top of the leaderboard alongside Scott Jamieson and Cian Foley at 21 under.
