Yang sets the pace

24 July 2015 11:01

YE Yang fired a second-round 63 to set the pace on the second day of the Omega European Masters in the Swiss Alps.

The South Korean has gone five years without any tournament success, but the 2009 US PGA champion moved himself ahead of the pack in Crans by following up Thursday's 65 with a seven-under round.

He entered the clubhouse with a three-shot lead over compatriot Seukhyun Baek, who was soon joined on nine under by Swedes Rikard Karlberg and Marcus Kinhult.

Playing the back nine first, Karlberg made back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh only to drop a shot when he shanked his drive and three-putted on the ninth.

That moved him alongside the French duo of Raphael Jacquelin and Gregory Havret at eight under as the latter gained only one stroke on Friday.

Overnight leader Havret had a hole-in-one and an eagle over the course of his first 18, but he struggled to make gains like that during his second round, picking up just two birdies as Yang and others surged beyond him.

Havret would have had the overnight lead snatched away from him by Tyrrell Hatton on Thursday evening had he not found water on the 18th en route to a triple-bogey seven, but a blitz of early birdies saw him briefly rise to the summit on Friday.

Hatton reached the turn in 30, yet a wayward drive down the left on the first led to the first of four bogeys in eight holes as he slipped back.

At seven under he was two shots ahead of fellow Englishmen Danny Willett, Seve Benson and Richard Bland, all of whom tee off in the afternoon.

Sergio Garcia's up-and-down form in Switzerland continued and having found the water when double-bogeying the par-three, he was facing a fight to even return for the closing two days.

Source: PA