It was a day of low-scoring in hot conditions at the Legends Tour’s season finale, with Michael Jonzon at the summit of a leaderboard that includes 18 players shooting in the 60s at the par-72 Legend Course.
The Swede got off to a hot start with four birdies in the first six holes to move to the turn in 32. He kickstarted his charge again with red numbers at 10 and 11, and ultimately got himself into the lead with two more at 16 and 17. He found water with his second shot on the par-5 18th, but he was able to scramble for a good par and a bogey-free 64.
The 51-year-old finished 12th on the MCB Road to Mauritius in his rookie season last year and he’s 9th on the season-long Order of Merit coming into this week, thanks to a runner-up finish at the WCM Legends Open de France, an excellent 4th at the Senior Open Presented by Rolex and a tied-9th at last week’s Vinpearl DIC Legends Vietnam.
“I want to be up there and have a chance on Sunday for the win because that’s what’s missing from a pretty good year,” said Jonzon, who has won twice on DP World Tour. “There are a lot of birdies there if you’re in play, but there are a lot of tricky holes. I’m very happy with the start and I got the putter rolling nicely.
“It’s maybe not a course that suits my eye, but I’m hitting a lot of irons off the tee and some three-wood. I’m not really hitting driver that much. You have to think and get yourself into position off the tee, and that does the trick. Because the greens are fairly flat so if you find the speed and line you can start to hole a lot of putts.”
There are a couple of Legends Tour winners just off the lead, in the form of Brier and McIntosh. Both of them birdied all four par-5s and had no worse than a four on the card in their respective 65s. Brier did make his only bogey at the par-3 11th, while McIntosh completed a bogey-free round courtesy of a much-improved putting performance.
There’s nothing to choose between Peter Baker and Adilson da Silva in the two-man battle at the top of the MCB Road to Mauritius, with both players shooting 67 to sit tied-4th. The Englishman has the advantage, though, as Da Silva needs at least a top-3 finish to have a chance of overtaking Baker at the summit.
Van Phillips, who started his day with four birdies in a row, and Robert Coles, who notched six birdies and one double bogey, are also in that tie at -5.
Greig Hutcheon has made a good start in his quest to be the Barry Lane Rookie of the Year with a round of 69 to be tied-11th. That’s level with Patrik Sjoland, who needs at least a top-8 and to finish ahead of the Scotsman to win the award, and four strokes clear of Greg Owen, who needs a win or solo 2nd.
Defending champion Thomas Bjorn has been struggling with a fever this week and the former Ryder Cup captain unfortunately signed for a 75.
The 48 players are competing for a prize fund that’s been doubled to $1 million, and there’s a $100,000 bonus pool to be shared between the top five in the MCB Road to Mauritius at the conclusion of the tournament.
Click HERE to see the full leaderboard, second round tee times, and find out more about the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius at Constance Belle Mare Plage.
