Horsey extends Russian Open lead

davidhorsey

An opening-day 65 had given Horsey a one-shot advantage heading into the action at the Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club in Moscow, and the Englishman moved two clear of the field after going round four under on day two.

The Scottish duo of Peter Whiteford and Scott Jamieson had ended Thursday tied for second, with Whiteford dropping to third after a 71 on Friday and Jamieson tied for fifth following a level-par 72.

England's Gary Boyd is level with Whiteford on seven under, four behind Horsey, while Belgium's Thomas Pieters is the man closest to the leader on nine under after his 68 came on the back of a 67 on the opening day.

Horsey got off to a disappointing start by beginning his round on the 10th, carding bogeys on the 12th and 13th before he picked up shots on three of the next five holes.

Another bogey arrived on the first but, as on Thursday, Horsey finished strongly and claimed birdies on four of the last eight holes to ensure he ended the day on top.

"I got off to a slow start but I managed to bounce back well," the world number 198 said. "I tried to do the same as yesterday and stick to my game and not worry about much else. 

"Dropping a couple of shots early on is always disappointing, but I knew there'd be plenty of chances to come and I just needed to stay patient and keep giving myself putts for birdie.

"The approach shots are the key here. The fairways are wide so you don't see guys missing too many fairways. There's a bit of water, so it's just about minimising to mistakes and not giving away too many shots when you do make a mistake.

"Then ultimately it's about holing putts, the same as every other week. 

"I've got a while now until the next round, so I'll be recharging the batteries this afternoon and hopefully I'll be raring to go tomorrow."

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