Calum Hill had to hang tough but held on to a leading position after a weather-disrupted second day at the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews.
The Perthshire player didn’t tee off his second round until 3.30 pm after lengthy delays first for a lightning threat and then flooding on the course. In all three and a half hours were lost but despite continuing rain later in the day play is almost back on schedule.
Hill, after his first round 63, had watched Justin Harding and the USA’s Berry Henson pass him on the course in the morning. Once he got out, he had further assaults on his position from Spain’s Santiago Tarrio and the former Dunhill Links champion Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark.
But the 26-year-old Scot saved himself with some mid-range putts for par early in his round and picked up birdies at the three par fives, the 6th, 12th and 18th.
Added to a bonus birdie at the 15th, that was good enough for a 68 and a 13-under total at the halfway point, one ahead of Harding.
Tarrio birdied the last for a 65 to reach 12-under, but Bjerregaard had six birdies in a row on his back nine and finished with a record 10-under 62 to lead by two.
Another Scot, Aberdeen’s David Law, had a run of five strokes picked up in four holes, and was on ten-under with two holes still to play.
Astonishing stuff from Henson
No @Uber driving this weekend. I’ll be playing some golf on the @EuropeanTour let’s go #HensonatorNation @EuropeanTour #HeroOpen @bmgolfclub pic.twitter.com/vjJyx5RHTE
— Berry Henson (@BerryHenson) August 6, 2021
Henson continues to be the surprise package of the event, the man who is 1217th in the world, and he was driving an Uber taxi until five weeks ago.
His second successive 67 had a double-bogey in there, but for a self-confessed South California boy for whom these weather conditions are downright alien, it was astonishing stuff.
“I have to be honest, it’s the best two rounds I’ve put together in these types of conditions in my career,” he said. “I don’t get to play much of this too often.
“As golfers we probably say we hit four good shots a round, I feel like I’m hitting quite a few in these conditions. Which you have to do because there isn’t much room for error out here this week in gusty conditions.
“I haven’t played much golf in the last two years. I mean, I was driving Uber five weeks ago. So to be out here competing on the European Tour… I’m just enjoying being out here.
“I wonder if any of my Uber passengers out there who are saying ‘I know that guy’!”
‘I need to keep my mind busy, I just can’t stay at home’
Play will start at 10.30am resulting in a 3 hour 20 minute delay to all original Round 2 start times. https://t.co/zianJBO4Fo
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 6, 2021
The 42-year-old has mostly played on the Asian Tour and had a successful career there.
“I’ve always had the ability to play at a high level, I’ve played good golf in my career,” he said. “I just haven’t had that mental sharpness, I’ve been missing that. I’m having good stretches of nine holes, but that mental sharpness and I think that’s from being away from the game for so long.
Henson could have sat at home, but figured he could come to Europe and play.
“You have to have something besides golf to keep you moving. It’s not all golf,” he said.
“For me, I’m the type of guy that needs to keep my mind busy. I can’t just sit at home. There wasn’t much for me to play in during the time off with Asian Tour and Covid.
“I can’t sit at home and not do something. It’s not that I needed the money, but I needed to feel like I had a purpose.”
Walters 15 shots better than average for his draw
Second round 64 (-8) ✍️@jwaltersgolf leads by two.#HeroOpen pic.twitter.com/3LL5aJ9Kcw
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 6, 2021
South Africa’s Walters also did well on what appeared to be the rough side of the draw, his 64 yesterday finished just as the weather was turning again. He ended up 15 shots ahead of the average for those who played late-early in the draw.
“I just did everything well and was able to get through the tough holes and the holes you could get after, I did,” he said. “A couple of bonuses here and there, but overall I just held my mental side of the game.
“When things are really tough you go with a gut feeling and commit to that. This time it worked out really nicely.
“I like to hit the ball low when I need to and I think that helps in harder conditions. Links golf, it helps me when you hit it low.
“Yesterday it ran a bit so you could keep it under the wind a little and keep it in play. Then it’s about making some putts, which is difficult to do, but I was able to do that.”