Detry surges into lead at Open de France
Thomas Detry of Belgium hits his drive on the 13th hole on day two of the FedEx Open de France at Le Golf National. Picture: Warren Little/Getty
Thomas Detry carded an eight under par 63 to take a share of the lead into the weekend at the FedEx Open de France.
The Belgian’s effort was the lowest round of the week thus far at Le Golf National, matching the 63 he carded during the second round of the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition at this venue in August.
Detry said afterwards: “Got off to a great start. It's the type of golf course where it gives you a couple of opportunities in the first cup of holes, if you drive it well, which I did all week so far, you can go low. We all know going in the rough is not good. I hit in the rough a couple of times and came out with bad lies.
“I’ve hit a lot of fairways the last two days and I've been playing much better today, at least. Struggled a little bit on the greens yesterday, and kind of changed my mindset, not hoping for it to go in and just try to hit good putts, and they went in today.”
Dan Bradbury moved into a share of the halfway lead after a second-round 66.
The 25-year-old, whose only DP World Tour win to date came in his third event at that level at the Joburg Open two years ago, was alongside Detry and Swede Jesper Svensson on nine under par.
Bradbury birdied the third and ninth in a quiet front nine also featuring a bogey at the sixth. An 46-foot putt for eagle at the 14th was followed by back-to-back birdies in a stirring finish to his round.
Having shot 67 at Carnoustie in last week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, played across three courses, he said: "I'm feeling pretty good. Coming off a strong round last week at Carnoustie - missed the cut but a lot of positives and I managed to take them out into this week and played solid.
"I left a few out there yesterday, probably could have been a couple better today, but overall just very happy."
Svensson shot 68, while Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen looked set for the lead at 11 under with two to play, only to bogey the 17th and find water for a double bogey at the last.
That dropped him into a group at eight under also featuring Rasmus Hojgaard, Simon Forsstrom, Fabrizio Zanotti and England's Paul Waring, whose compatriots Justin Rose and Matthew Jordan followed at seven under.
Tom McKibben sits on three under par after a second round 70.
Making his 560th and final DP World Tour appearance Frenchman Grégory Havret carded a five under par 66 to make the cut on the number, going nine strokes better than his first round 75.
