Euan Walker and Matthew Baldwin will share a one-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the British Challenge presented by Modest! Golf Management.
The Scotsman posted a six under par round of 66 in tough afternoon conditions to reach seven under alongside Baldwin, who had set the target earlier in the day after carding a three under round of 69 at St. Mellion Estate.
Walker’s three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine meant he made the turn at one under par, before five more birdies on the back nine saw him climb to the top of the leaderboard.
“I feel really good,” he said. “I was concerned about the rain today, but I manged to battle through it. It was very windy for a period, but I took advantage when the conditions became easier. I hit a lot of nice approach shots and made some great putts out there.
“To be in this position is a bit of a bonus and I just need to relax and play in the same way as I did today. Things have gone really well so I can’t complain.”
Co-leader Baldwin was pleased to take advantage of the soft greens on the Nicklaus Signature Course, and he is now targeting a climb into the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca Rankings with a strong performance over the weekend in Cornwall.
“It was a good day,” he said. “I started off a bit scrappy but made a birdie on 13 to settle me down a bit and managed to push on from there. The greens are really soft, and you just have to plot your way around this course without being too aggressive because you have to take some spin off your approach shots.
“I like the set up here at St. Mellion and it seems to reward straight sensible golf, so it is good for me. I know a win would move me into the top 20 and we are at the most important stage of the season.”
Frenchman Adrien Saddier carded the low round of the day, a seven under par 65, to move into third place on six under, while Sweden’s Simon Forsström and Iceland’s Haraldur Magnus share fourth place on five under par.
