Dantorp steams ahead despite ankle injury in Spain

Tournament: Empordà Challenge
Venue: Empordà Golf, Girona, Spain
Hashtag: #EmpordaChallenge

Second Round Report

Jens Dantorp fought off an injured ankle to tie the course record at Empordà Golf with a bogey-free eight under par round of 62 and claim the 36-hole lead at the Empordà Challenge.

The Swede, who won the Challenge de España last month, started with a trio of birdies before adding five more to reach eight under par and move one clear of Spaniard Manuel Elvira, who finished with back-to-back birdies to move into second place on seven under par.

The 33-year-old continued his excellent form on Spanish soil despite suffering with an ankle injury following an incident earlier in the week, which is now beginning to subside as he eyes another shot at glory.

"I was looking for one of the other guys' ball on 18 and I took a wrong step on the kerb to the cart path and twisted my ankle on Tuesday," he said. "I got some good treatment from the physio team here, Alvaro, so it feels a lot better now. I'm happy that he could have a look at it.

"I played solid today. My putter was really hot and it's always nice to equal a course record.

"I did start thinking about 59 on 13 but I pushed it away straight away. I made some good birdies from there too, so I'm happy."

The three-time Challenge Tour winner claimed his most recent title at Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri three weeks ago and has a good record in Spain, having finished seventh in the last edition of this event in 2021.

"Maybe it's the tapas that helps me play so well in Spain," he said. "I just love it here; the weather is really nice, I love to play in warm weather, which is very odd since I'm from Sweden, but I don't like plaging in the cold too much.

"You just have to try and stay aggressive, create birdie chances, and roll them in. You can't go out and try to protect anything. There are 36 holes to play and I know I have to play well to keep my lead. That's the mentality."

The course record which Dantorp equalled stood only for a few hours, as it was set by Irishman Ruadihri McGee, who announced his return to the Challenge Tour in style after almost two years away from the Road to Mallorca. His second round effort was 14 shots better than his first, having posted a six over par 76 on day one, and makes his first Challenge Tour cut since September 2019.

Frenchman Gary Stal and Scotland's Euan Walker, who posted a seven under par round of 63 on day two, share third place on six under par, with Spanish duo David Borda and Alejandro del Rey and English pair Todd Clements and Marco Penge a shot further back in a share of fifth place on five under par.

The cut fell at level par on a warm day at Empordà Golf, with 60 players surviving to compete over the weekend.

Scrivener leads by two in Sweden

Tournament: Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed
DP World Tour Rankings: Tournament 19 of 44 events
Venue: Halmstad GC, Tylösand, Sweden
Prize Fund: $2,000,000
Hashtag: #VolvoScandinavianMixed #DPWT #RaiseOurGame

Round Two Report

Jason Scrivener produced the lowest round of the week so far to sit two shots clear at the top of the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed leaderboard at the halfway stage.

The Australian reeled off eight birdies at Halmstad Golf Club - including four in a row from the 11th - in a spotless 64 on Friday, keeping his card clean with a par save from nine feet at the last.

The 33-year-old began the day three shots off the lead but soon set about closing the gap, pouring in a 32-foot birdie putt at the long second before making back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth.

Scrivener caught fire on the back nine, carding four consecutive birdies at the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th thanks to a hot putter and curled in his 20-foot effort at the 17th for another birdie before holing his tricky par putt on the 18th green to set the clubhouse target on 12 under par.

Italian amateur Carolina Melgrati was one of three players in a tie for second after following up Thursday's 65 with a second-round 69, with home favourite Linn Grant and Mike Lorenzo-Vera also on ten under par.

Grant, a winner two weeks ago at The Mithra Belgian Ladies Open, mixed six birdies with two bogeys in an impressive 68 which she capped with a fine birdie at the last.

Afternoon starter Lorenzo-Vera had closed the gap to Scrivener to just one shot after notching seven birdies in his opening 13 holes but his first bogey of the day at the 17th saw him sign for a 66.

Craig Howie and Daniel Gavins were in a share of fifth place on nine under, one stroke ahead of tournament co-host Henrik Stenson following his 66.

Home hero Peter Hanson, making his final appearance on the DP World Tour this week before retiring from competitive golf, was treated to a wonderful send-off on the 18th green on Friday.

Player Quotes

Jason Scrivener: "Really happy. It has been a frustrating couple of months, and I felt a round like this was close and I am pretty happy with it.

"Just golf really. I have been playing decent just not really holing any putts and making a few mistakes here and there, and not putting a score together, so for it all to come together today it was nice.

"It has been awesome, the girls are great players, I think Ana is on the cut line, but she played great today so good fun.

"Looking forward to it. It has been a while since I have been in contention and just excited to be in this position. Can't wait."

Carolina Melgrati: "I don't know any adjective to describe this feeling! It's great and it's unbelievable. I think it's just the result of working hard. I am putting better than usual, I just changed it this week. I went from a Scotty Cameron to an Odyssey. The feelings with it are great.

"It has been great. I'm excited and I just want to keep going. I can't wait to play tomorrow! I love playing, so that's my dream. My strengths are my long game mainly. I usually don't putt this well, but during this tournament I'm feeling my putter in a better way.

"I will just try this weekend. If it goes great, then great! But if it doesn't, there's always next time. I will try to keep calm and hit one shot at a time."

Linn Grant: "As a golfer I'm pretty good at adjusting, that's probably my best quality to be able to stand on range and I don't have anything, but I'm going to have to go out and find something and work it out.

"In Belgium that swing feeling I had, that is probably my key feeling and whenever I have that for a week, I know I'm going to hit the ball great. This week not having that feeling was a little bit sad, but at the same time I still have to find something – though I haven't found it yet, but I'm getting there."

Mike Lorenzo Vera: "I just love it. I love the course, this type of tree lined course. It is fun to be here with the women and see some old friends like Anne-Lise Caudal, a nice week.

"I changed my grip at the beginning of the week and I feel a bit more comfortable and some shots are getting out pretty well, so here we are. I will just try to play well and see what happens."

Henrik Stenson: "I managed to pick up the long game a bit from yesterday, it was certainly the greens that kept me in the ball game yesterday, I putted nicely and I kept that up today, made a lot of nice putts and certainly hit it a lot better, more solid, a little wobbly coming in again, but a pretty solid round.

"It is nice to be up there of course, I have had some good finishes in Sweden over the years, it is one of the tournaments that I would certainly like to win, and I haven't done, so I am looking forward to the weekend and if I am playing well enough we will see but we are at least in with a small chance and that is always going to be nice and that is always a motivator not to be too far off the leaders when you are there for the presentation on Sunday."

Annika Sörenstam: "I had hoped to be better. I got off to a decent start, I was one under for my round today and new what I had to shoot, but just didn't do it. The back nine got me. Yesterday it was the front nine that got me, but I would say hole 16 is what has kind of hurt me this week.

You know it is what it is, it's golf and I gave it everything that I had. And I had a great time with my pairing with Linn and Kristoffer, they played really well, great golf, we had super crowds this morning despite in the chilly weather, it has been a great week that far in that sense, so really nothing I can do at this point, I tried, it just didn't work."