England’s David Tapping was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Finland’s Pauli Hughes and Sweden’s Jimmy Kawalec on three under par at the halfway stage of the NCC Open at Soderasen Golf Club.
Kawalec, from Boras, picked up six birdies on his way to the best of the day 67, four under par. Hughes fired five birdies for a round of 68 but overnight leader Tapping dropped three shots with only the one birdie in his round of 73.
Surrey-based Hughes, who is attached to Hankley Common and lives in Hindhead, is yet to win on the Challenge Tour but came close last year by finishing second in the Modena Classic.
A shot off the lead is Sweden’s Marten Olander, a graduate from the 1998 European Tour Qualifying School, and compatriot Per Nyman. Both shot three under par 68’s but while Olander’s was a model of consistency with no bogeys, Nyman was on a rollercoaster ride with seven birdies, seven pars and four bogeys.
Denmark’s Knud Storgaard Jensen is also on two under par, a shot off the lead, after a round of 70.