Australia’s Jason Scrivener had a blistering second day at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed firing a 64 (-8) to lead by two shots.
After carding a 68 on day one at Halmstad Golf Club, the 33-year-old went bogey-free and rolled in eight birdies to reach 12-under-par at the halfway point of the competition.
“I’m really happy. It has been a frustrating couple of months, and I felt a round like this was close and I am pretty happy with it,” he said.
“I have been playing decent just not really holing any putts and making a few mistakes here and there, and not putting a score together, so for it all to come together today it was nice.
“It has been awesome, the girls are great players, I think Ana [Peláez] is on the cut line, but she played great today so good fun. I’m looking forward to it. It has been a while since I have been in contention and I’m just excited to be in this position. I can’t wait.”
The Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed is a co-sanctioned event between the LET and DP World Tour and it sees 78 men and 78 women playing for the same prize fund of US $2 million and one trophy.
Italian amateur Carolina Melgrati followed up her opening round of 65 (-7), which equalled the course record, with a second round of 69 to be 10-under-par after 36 holes.
The 19-year-old rolled in two birdies and one bogey on her front nine before making two more birdies on her back nine to continue her impressive form and be in a share of second place.
“I don’t know any adjective to describe this feeling! It’s great and it’s unbelievable,” said the Milan native. “I think it’s just the result of working hard.
“It has been great. I’m excited and I just want to keep going. I can’t wait to play tomorrow! I love playing, so that’s my dream.”
After finishing T4 at the Ladies Italian Open, Melgrati has a different putter this week, but it is working a treat at Halmstad Golf Club.
“I am putting better than usual, I just changed it this week,” she explained. “I went from a Scotty Cameron to an Odyssey. The feelings with it are great. My strengths are my long game mainly, but during this tournament I’m feeling my putter in a better way.
“I will just try this weekend. If it goes great, then great! But if it doesn’t, there’s always next time. I will try to keep calm and hit one shot at a time.”
Despite starting her day with a bogey, Sweden’s Linn Grant shot a round of 68 (-4) to be in T2 alongside Melgrati and France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera.
Birdies on five, eight, nine and 11 put the two-time LET winner in a good position and a dropped shot on 15 was soon forgotten with two birdies in her final three holes.
“As a golfer I’m pretty good at adjusting, that’s probably my best quality to be able to stand on range and I don’t have anything, but I’m going to have to go out and find something and work it out,” she said.
“It was nice to get back on track. When you make a bogey on the first, you always have these thoughts of I’m one-over, ‘what if I miss this putt?’ and that’s just because I made a bogey on the first. At the same time when you’ve made a bogey, you have the mentality of I’m just going to go for it now.
“When the putt went in on 18, it was so nice. You always hear yourself screaming in your head when you make a putt, but to hear everything louder and not be able to hear yourself because of everyone else – it is really nice. Just to have people that I know in the crowd was great.”
Scotland’s Craig Howie and England’s Daniel Gavins are tied for fifth place on nine-under having recorded rounds of 70 and 67, respectively.
Henrik Stenson carded a 66 (-6) on day two to move onto eight-under-par and into the top 10 as he is in a share of seventh place.
Stenson is joined by fellow Swede Kristoffer Broberg, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Spanish duo Nacho Elvira and Santiago Tarrio.
Wales’ Lydia Hall produced the best round of the day by a female with a 66 (-6) to move to a total of seven-under and be in T12 with five others including Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta.
The cut fell at -2 with 69 players making it through to the final two rounds at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.
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