As delays continued to be a factor at the Porsche European Open, Alexander Levy opened up a commanding lead on day two.
Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
There was fog to blame for delays to play on day one of the Porsche European Open, and as it turned out, fog was once again a factor on Friday.
With play originally scheduled to resume early in the morning with the hope of the tournament getting back on schedule on Friday, the action had to be suspended once again very shortly after the players had gone out on the course as fog once again limited visibility.
As a result, when play finally came to a close for the day on Friday, very few players had managed to complete their second round and almost half of the field had even yet to tee off for their second 18 holes of the week.
In spite of that leaving the cut mark particularly difficult to predict, good scores at the top mean that the tournament has started to shape up nicely on paper.
Alexander Levy played the best part of two outstanding rounds on Friday to open up a big lead, while strong play from local favorite Martin Kaymer saw him charge into second also.
What are the biggest stories and takeaways coming out of day two of the Porsche European Open though? Let’s take a look at three of the leading contenders.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Alexander Levy Continues Good Form
Having led as the action moved into Sunday at the Italian Open last week, Alexander Levy could have been excused if disappointment at his eventual seventh placed finish had led to him being off his best this week. In reality, it seems like he has used it as a motivator.
Approaching the halfway point of his opening round when play was suspended on day one, Levy took his early signs of good play and ran with them on Friday. With his first 35 holes of the tournament played so far, the Frenchman has racked up 17 birdies and no bogeys.
Levy recorded a 62 for his first round total and with a birdie on the ninth (his last of round two) when he returns in the morning, he could match that total for an incredibly impressive matching set.
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Martin Kaymer Is Much Improved On Day Two
Local players have thrived on the last two weeks on Tour, but as a three-time major champion preparing for the Ryder Cup next week, the pressure Martin Kaymer faces in front of the German fans this week takes things to a whole new level.
The 31-year-old only managed to play nine holes of his opening round before darkness on Thursday, and sitting at level-par to that point, it would have been fair to question if the expectation was getting to him.
Having closed out his first round with four birdies, and played the first 17 of his second round in seven-under, Kaymer has now catapulted himself right up the leaderboard into a share of second though. It seems he’ll be perfectly positioned to make a big statement at the weekend.
Robert Karlsson Chasing 59?
When I put together the power rankings for the Porsche European Open earlier in the week, I mentioned how there has been no shortage of hints that Robert Karlsson is finally turning his game around and that has continued at this event so far.
Karlsson started last week with three rounds in the 60s, and after a first round 69 in this event, the veteran Swede now has a chance to threaten the European Tour’s first ever 59 when play resumes in the morning.
On the par 71 course, Karlsson is currently nine-under for his round with three holes remaining. With the par-5 eighth hole among them, and well within reach for Karlsson in two, a strong start on Saturday could give the European Tour legend another slice of history.
Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Porsche European Open – Day 2 Leaderboard
1 Alexander Levy – Thru 17 (-17)
T2 Martin Kaymer – Thru 17 (-11)
T2 Ross Fisher – Thru 15 (-11)
T2 Robert Karlsson – Thru 15 (-11)
T5 Jean Hugo – Thru 13 (-10)
T5 Jason Scrivener – Thru 10 (-10)
T7 Matthew Soutgate – 67 (-9)
T7 Soomin Lee – Thru 15 (-9)
T7 Mikael Lundberg – Thru 9 (-9)
Play is scheduled to resume for the completion of round two at 8am local time, while third round action will then begin later on Saturday.
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