Horsey in command in Denmark - Articles

David Horsey will take a three shot lead into the weekend at the Made in Denmark and the Englishman will not be changing his gameplan as he chases a fourth European Tour win.

The 30 year old came into the day with a one shot advantage at eight under and was briefly bumped into second place by John Parry, who recorded a 67 to go one shot better.

But a birdie on the first had Horsey back on top of the leaderboard and he never looked back, keeping at least a share of the lead throughout the second round.

"I played really well coming in and it could’ve even been one or two better," he said.

"I’ve been really sticking to my strategy well and just focusing on myself.

You’ve got to enjoy it – you’re not going to turn down leading a golf tournament heading into the weekend. David Horsey "I’m happy with my game and the frustration isn’t there anymore, which is nice. When you start seeing the ball go in the hole, it’s refreshing."

Following his opening birdie, Horsey picked up another shot on the fourth and although he gave it back on the next, an eagle on the sixth took him to 11 under.

Back-to-back bogeys on the ninth and tenth threatened to drop Horsey back into the pack but further birdies on the 11th, 15th and 17th saw him add a 67 to his opening tournament record 63 and establish a sizeable advantage.

Horsey has three European Tour wins, including last year's M2M Russian Open, but just one top ten this season and admits a recent short break has left him feeling ready to challenge again.

"I had a good holiday last week, which is always nice mid-season," he said. "You get a little bit burnt out sometimes and I was getting frustrated with it, so it was nice to put the clubs away for a week and get away and forget about golf. It seems to have done the job."

Parry reached 11 under earlier in the day but bogeys on the seventh and ninth stalled his progress after he recorded six birdies in his first 15 holes.

The Englishman has not been in the best of form of late, missing five of his last six cuts, and is happy to be in contention after 36 holes.

"I played well but it was a bit more of a struggle than yesterday," said Parry. "For the bogey at the last I holed a six or seven footer, so it actually doesn't feel as bad when you do that.

"I hit it a lot better on the back nine – my front nine – and I was holing pretty much everything I looked at. It wasn't as good on the front, but I'm in a good position for the weekend."

Australian Richard Green also got to nine under with a flawless 65 that equalled the low round of the day as he recorded birdies on the third, fourth, sixth, 14th, 15th and 17th.

"I feel good," Green said. "It's a bit of a surprise as I've just come off three weeks of not playing and just caddieing for my fiancée. I had a bit of practice last week, but I'm a bit surprised at how well I'm playing.

"I'm hitting it well and putting well, so I'll take it. It's freshened up the mind a little bit.

"At this time of year the tournaments are a bit thin if you're not in the Majors or the WGCs, so it's been a good break before a busy end to the season."

Last year's runner-up Bradley Dredge was eight under after a steady round of 68 courtesy of birdies on the 15th, second and fourth, while another Australian, Terry Pilkadaris, was also eight under after hitting five birdies and two bogeys.

The story of the day had looked like it was coming from European Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke before he dropped three shots in his final two holes.

"I was really struggling with my swing today and it caught up with me at the end," he said. "I was just trying to get it in without any more poor swings.