Soren Kjeldsen and Thorbjorn Olesen tore up Kingston Heath with a scintillating 60 in the four-balls to fire Denmark to a three-stroke lead after the second round of the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday.
The Danes teed off four strokes adrift of overnight leaders Spain on another gusty day, but finished with Kjeldsen sinking a three-foot putt on the 18th for the pair’s eighth birdie in a brilliant 12-under round.
They head into today’s foursomes with a handy buffer over second-placed China, with Spain a further stroke behind on eight-under.
Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung and Chan Shih-chang were tied for 10th place on five-under after 65.
“I was trying to play solid, Thorbjorn was playing exceptional,” 41-year-old Kjeldsen said next to his partner Olesen, 15 years his junior. “It’s one of the best courses I’ve ever played.”
None of the other 28 nations in the field came close to the dominant Danish pair, who also grabbed two eagles, but China’s Wu Anshun and Li Haotong were well-placed after combining for a 65 on another solid day.
Joint second overnight, the US slipped to fourth with France, England and Italy on seven-under.
Americans Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker combined for 67, but were disappointed with a yield of five birdies.
“A few more would have been nice to go into the weekend,” world No. 12 Fowler said. “We haven’t played our best golf yet or anything close to it.”
Australian Adam Scott’s hopes of defending his 2013 team title, won with Jason Day at Royal Melbourne, dimmed further as he and Marc Leishman struggled to gel.
Five off the pace overnight, the pair rolled in six birdies, but both stumbled with bogeys on the seventh and 16th holes, and they were 10 strokes behind the Danes.
“I certainly didn’t play the way I would’ve liked, but that’s golf and it can do that to you,” Leishman said. “I’m still staying positive, hoping we’ve saved all of our good stuff for the weekend.”
Kjeldsen and Olesen parred their first two holes before their round roared into life with an eagle on the par-four third followed by birdies on the next two holes.
Another eagle came on the par-five eighth before their game went up another level at the turn, as they started the back nine with five consecutive birdies.
“I’m like a train ... I arrive on time,” Kjeldsen said as he compared his safe game with Olesen’s more aggressive approach. “It’s a good combination.”
Additional reporting by staff writer
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