Story highlights
Tommy Fleetwood and Michael Hoey share lead at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland
They are on 12-under 132 with England's Fleetwood carding a second round 63 at Kingsbarns
2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen leads chasers on 11-under
Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy all within five shots of the lead after two rounds
Unheralded pair Tommy Fleetwood of England and Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey share the lead at the halfway stage of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
Fleetwood, who won the Kazakhstan Open on the second-level European Challenge Tour earlier this month, charged to the fore with a nine-under 63 at Kingsbarns, one of three courses being used for the tournament.
Hoey, who also played at Kingsbarns, carded a second straight six-under 66 to join him on 12-under 132.
The 20-year-old Fleetwood has already earned his place on the 2012 European Tour and has now set his sights higher.
“The last couple of weeks I’ve had no pressure on me really. I know where I’m playing next year, which is great, and it’s definitely given me confidence because there was a bit of thought of ‘Can I win?’ because I had been in there so many times.
“I finally got it done, so let’s see if I can do it on the bigger stage now,” he told the official European Tour website.
But both men face a significant challenge from many of golf’s big names with five of the top six ranked players in the world playing at the tournament, which also uses Carnoustie and St Andrews where the final round takes place Sunday.
South African Louis Oosthuizen, who lifted the British Open at St Andrews in 2010, is one off the lead after adding a 67 at Carnoustie to his opening 66 at Kingsbarns.
Former U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell carded a second straight 67 to lie in a big group two shots back alongside Australian Daniel Gaunt, Scotland’s Marc Warren, Austria’s Markus Brier and South African Jaco van Zyl.
Defending champion Martin Kaymer is looming a shot further back on nine-under, while world number two Lee Westwood and current U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy are on seven-under.
Top-ranked Luke Donald was challenging until four dropped shots in his last four holes, including a double bogey, put him back to four-under.
Donald, who is hoping to become the first man to head the money list on both the PGA and European Tours, drove into the infamous Barry Burn at Carnoustie as his second round unraveled.
