An eight-under second round has helped Peter Hanson take a two-shot lead at the halfway mark of the BMW Masters on Friday. The Swede, who was four shots behind leader Jamie Donaldson overnight, bogeyed the first hole before making nine birdies at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai. Superb iron play saw Hanson hole four straight birdies starting at the 5th and his back nine was similarly impressive. Hanson moved into 14 under thanks to his excellent round, sitting two shots clear of world No.1 Rory McIlroy. “I played lovely. I&aposm in a good position going into the weekend now,” Hanson said. “Obviously confidence is high after winning Portugal. I did do a bit too much celebrating, but I came in here with a lot of confidence.” Another two Swedes are well-placed heading into the weekend, with Robert Karlsson (nine under) and Alexander Noren (eight under) in contention. Karlsson also managed an eight-under 64 to be outright third, a shot ahead of Irishman Shane Lowry, Englishman Justin Rose, Noren and Welshman Donaldson. After winning his first European Title in Ireland earlier this year, Donaldson made an excellent start in China but five bogeys on Friday proved costly. McIlroy improved his chances of winning the Race to Dubai with a bogey-free seven-under 65 keeping him in the hunt. Several big names share eighth at seven under, including the likes of England&aposs Luke Donald, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen and German Martin Kaymer. Richard Green, the only Australian at the tournament, is in a tie for 31st after his one-under 71 helped him move into three under overall.
Author: Omnisport