ST ANDREWS: England’s Tommy Fleetwood set a new Carnoustie course record to move into a share of the halfway lead at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland on Friday.
Race to Dubai leader Fleetwood, 26, produced a bogeyfree nine-under par 63 to lower the previous best by one shot on the course that will play host to next year’s Open Championship.
The effort, in bright but very cold conditions, saw the new father join compatriot and defending champion Tyrrell Hatton in the lead at 11-under par. Hatton also played his second round at Carnoustie and fired a 65.
“I wasn’t aware it was a course record until I holed that birdie at the last and someone mentioned it to me,” Fleetwood said. “So, it’s all in a day’s work.
Fleetwood’s 63 bettered the 64s carded by 10 other golfers, including Sweden’s Alex Noren last year.
Fleetwood has played just one event in the past seven weeks after taking time off to be with his fiancee ahead of the birth of their first child early last week.
Hatton is seeking to become the first player in the 16-year history of the event to successfully defend the title.
The 25-year-old holed three birdies in succession from the sixth hole and then birdied four of his closing six holes.
“I am happy with today’s round though I got lucky a couple of times, but obviously you need that,” he said.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy birdied his final hole at Carnoustie in a round of 71 to get back to level par but was still three shots shy of Saturday’s expected third round cut-off mark of three-under par.
McIlroy spoilt his round, and in what is his last event of the year, in taking a sixth hole triple-bogey ‘7’ after also posting a doublebogey early in Thursday’s score at St. Andrews.
The World No 6 looks set to finish the season without a win for the first time since 2008, having not claimed a title since the 2016 Tour Championship. AFP
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