Ludvig Åberg has broken records at Golf du Médoc Resort to take the halfway lead at the European Amateur Championship.
The Swede started the day on -6 after a bogey-free 65 in Round 1 and carried his excellent form into Day 2.
Calm conditions and soft greens enabled the 21-year-old to record an impressive 10 birdies in the second round, with none less than six coming on the front-nine alone. Another bogey-free day meant the number-one ranked amateur in Europe would sign for a 61 (-10), the lowest score ever recorded on the Chateaux Course at Golf du Médoc.
However, the preferred lies in place due to recent heavy rain at the venue unfortunately make the record unofficial.
“I was very happy with how I played today, it was just one of those days.” Said Åberg shortly after his round. “Everything felt good, everything kind of went my way and that’s what you’ve got to do to shoot a 61.”
The Swedish player, who has his father as a caddy this week, has only missed two greens in regulation in the tournament so far.
When asked about his iron play, Åberg replied: “We made good decisions, me and my Dad. So it was kind of just one shot at a time and they ended up being pretty close to the hole.”
The Swede’s total of -16 is the lowest 36-hole score to par ever recorded in the European Amateur Championship’s 35-year history.
Denmark’s Christoffer Bring, who made 17 birdies over the first two rounds, was the only player within five shots of the Swede at the end of the second day. Two consecutive rounds of 64 (-7) earned the Danish player a spot in Friday’s final group just two strokes behind the leader on -14.
Round 1 leader, Alexander Frances, struggled on day 2. The Dane wasn't able to repeat his 63 (-8) in the second round, and was forced to settle for a 76 (+5), dropping him to a tie for 38th.
Joel Moscatel holds third position after a 67 (-4) in Round 2. The Spaniard added to a 64 (-7) in Round 1 to move to 11-under-par, five shots behind the leader, and will complete Friday's final pairing.
Round 3 will see player’s try to improve their positions ahead of Saturday’s final round, and for the midfield players, try and make the cut.
60 players + ties will qualify for the fourth and final round, with the cut provisionally at -1.
The full leaderboard and Round 3 tee times can be found on the European Amateur Championship event page.
