David Micheluzzi, Australia’s lone entrant in the Open de France, has produced a fine four-under-par 67 at Le Golf National to give himself a chance of making a weekend push at the course which staged the Olympic tournament.
England’s Dan Bradbury, Belgium’s Thomas Detry and Swede Jesper Svensson all lead the way on nine under par at halfway in Paris, with Micheluzzi trailing back in the pack six shots adrift but hoping for another big moving day on Saturday.
Starting his round at the 10th hole, Micheluzzi reeled off six birdies in all to offset two bogeys, getting himself back into the top-40 after an opening round of 72 had featured a calamitous triple-bogey.
Bradbury, whose only European tour win came in his third event at that level at the Joburg Open two years ago, enjoyed a second-round 66.
He birdied the third and ninth in a quiet front nine, also featuring a bogey at the sixth. A 46-foot putt for eagle at the 14th was followed by back-to-back birdies in a stirring finish to his round.
Having shot 67 at Carnoustie in last week’s Dunhill Links Championship, played across three courses, he said: “I’m feeling pretty good.
“Coming off a strong round last week at Carnoustie – missed the cut but a lot of positives and I managed to take them out into this week and played solid.
“I left a few out there yesterday, probably could have been a couple better today, but overall just very happy.”
The round of the day belonged to Detry, who shot an eight-under-par 63 – as he had on ther same course during the Paris Games.
Svensson fired a 68, while Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen looked set for the lead at 11 under with two to play, only to bogey the 17th and find water for a double bogey at the last.
That dropped him into a group at eight under also featuring Rasmus Hojgaard, Simon Forsstrom, Fabrizio Zanotti and England’s Paul Waring, whose compatriots Justin Rose and Matthew Jordan followed at seven under.
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