International Olympic Academy Course
Having played on the Bay Course for the opening round, where three players broke the old course record on Friday, the sixty players in the field moved onto the International Olympic Academy Course for the weekend. High up on the hill, providing stunning views – and it would be another day where the tournament leaderboard would also make an interesting backdrop to this event.
-7 Hend 60 76
Scott Hend set a new course-record of 60 at the Bay Course on the opening day, but his second round would not offer the same carefree success for the Australian.
It was a rollercoaster front nine, carding a triple-bogey seven at the first hole, he’d make four birdies in the next seven holes – before a bogey on the 9th saw him make the turn in one under par. His back nine was one to forget. Three bogeys and a double bogey to come home in 41 – a round of 76, leaving him at seven under par for the week.
-9 Russell & Randhawa
Raymond Russell and Jyoti Randhawa scored well on day two, moving to nine under par for the week – a mark equalled by two other players who shot up the leaderboard by setting a new course record on the International Olympic Academy Course.
Legends Tour rookie Jyoti Randhawa, who came through Q-school in January, backed up his opening 68 with a 66 to beat the previous record on this course by one.
The Indian player made a total of seven birdies, with just one dropped shot and he moved into a share of fifth place.
-9 Joakim Haeggman 68 66
The score of -9 for the week was matched by Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman and matched with a 68 and then 66 for this week. The former Ryder Cup player got to the turn in six under par having registered four birdies and an eagle on his front nine.
He was two-under on the back nine before losing the ball with his first tee shot from the 18th and having to play his provisional. A double-bogey six would end up on the card to dampen what had been an otherwise impressive day on the course.
“Today was probably the best I have played all year, just one bad swing on 18. If you were giving me 66 on this golf course this morning, I would have hidden in my room all day!
“I’ve got to look at it from the bright side, some great shots, some great putts. I would say the key today was my driving.
“A lot of things look really simple, but I the golf course is very touchy out here. You miss one fairway and you are paying dearly for that, but I managed to keep it in play most of the day.
“You know this golf course you got to hit some good golf shots. It’s not to say you didn’t have to hit them yesterday, but yesterday was more of a putting competition. I’ve been driving the ball well off the tee, and I hope I can keep doing that because I think that’s going to be key tomorrow to be able to keep pressure on the boys and at the same time, give yourself the opportunities to keep going.”
-11 Lionel Alexandre 65 67
Frenchman Lionel Alexandre is another Q-school graduate and he would make a 67 on the International Olympic Academy Course to reach -11 through 36 holes.
His round began with a bogey at the opening hole, but thereafter he was in fine form – making six birdies and no further dropped shots.
-11 Clark Dennis 66 66
American Clark Dennis has notched up back-to-back rounds of 66, albeit on different courses to also get to -11 for the week.
Saturday’s round featured a bogey, five birdies and an eagle as he got himself into a share of third place alongside Alexandre.
-12 Robert Coles 60 71
On Friday, around the Bay Course, Robert Coles had a putt for a round of 59 – he would sign for a 60, but there was seemingly no golfing hangover from such a strong start to the week. The Englishman made 71 in a steady day’s work as he reached 12 under par.
-13 Mikael Lundberg 61 69
That leaves him one shot behind the leader, Mikael Lundberg, who set the tone on Friday with the first course record-breaking round of the day. He too would make a Saturday 69 to add to his 61 from the day before. It gets him to 13 under par and puts him in pole position now going into the final round on Sunday.
It’s just the second season on the Legends Tour for Lundberg, who is going in search of his maiden victory on the Tour. He’s had a strong start to the season with a third-placed finish in the season opener in Barbados.
Now he holds a slender margin ahead of the final 18 holes, while there are a total of eight players within four shots of the lead.
“I’m very pleased with the score, the game, especially off the tee – I’ve never been one of the best ball strikers, but lately it’s been pretty good. I’ve hit a lot of good wedge shots when I need them.
“This is a scary course because there’s a lot of chances to lose your ball!
“You play a little bit later in the day and there’s more wind, it’s a little bit warmer and you get more sweaty hands!We’ve played so many years – you just have to use your experience and grind it out.
“I’ll just try to play my game and try to put in as low a score as I can tomorrow. It would be an amazing start to the year if I won and I would love nothing more than I would love to win out here.”
The final round of the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy will be played on the International Olympic Academy Course on Sunday.
