Welshman Dredge pulls away in Denmark

First-round co-leader Bradley Dredge of Wales opens a four-stroke lead at the Danish Open golf, sitting eight under par at the halfway mark.

Wales' Bradley Dredge during the Johnnie Walker Championship

First-round co-leader Bradley Dredge of Wales opens a four-stroke lead at the Danish Open golf. (AAP)

Bradley Dredge shot a three-under-par 68 on Friday to open up a four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Danish Open in Aalborg.

The 41-year-old Welshman shared the lead overnight with Chile's Felipe Aguilar and home hope Thomas Bjorn at five under but, while they endured difficult days in northern Denmark, Dredge produced four birdies in the last six holes to move to eight under par for the tournament.

That leaves him four shots clear of closest challenger Simon Wakefield of England, who had a four-under 67 after a bogey five at the last hole.

On a day affected by a one-hour delay due to the threat of lightning, Aguilar only managed a 74, while former Ryder Cup winner Bjorn dropped a shot at the first hole on the way to a 73.

The biggest home threat over the weekend could come from the 24-year-old Thorbjorn Olesen, who is one of several players sharing third alongside Bjorn and five shots off the pace.

Olesen's round of 70 featured four birdies as well as a double-bogey seven at the long 13th hole, but he is hoping the support from the galleries at the Himmerland course can propel him forward over the weekend.

"The crowds have been great," he said.

"It's like playing a major championship out there. I've never seen anything like it. It's incredible and it really gave me a big boost out there.

"I was grinding it out today and I managed to get it under par. It was a great feeling being in front of this crowd. It's good fun. I can't imagine what it is going to be like over the weekend."


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world