Ireland’s McGrane Rips Course Record
A sensational 10-under par 61 gave Ireland’s
Damien McGrane a four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Telefónica Central America Guatemala Open, the second of three co-sanctioned events between the Tour de las Americas and the European Challenge Tour.Sweden’s Johan Edfors - with the help of a hole-in-one at the 200yard 17th - carded his second 67 of the championship for solo-second place. Argentines Hernan Rey and Daniel Vancsik lie joint-third at 6-under par, trailing McGrane by six shots. Swirling breezes during second day’s play at Hacienda Nueva CC pushed the midway cut to 143, 1-over par, with 51 players through to weekend play, including TLA Order of Merit leader Juan Pablo Abbate at 5-under, tied for 7th slot.
Hardly surprisingly, 31-year old McGrane, originally from County Meath and now living in Wexford, was delighted with his performance: "I’m very happy with that. I played really well from the first hole. As you know if one is playing a lot and playing well, it is only a question of time before a really good score comes along. I’ve been playing well so it was nice that today was my turn!"
The lowest in Tour de las Americas history comprised no eagles, no chip-ins, simply eleven well-crafted birdies and amazingly, one bogey. "I played great from the start and kept playing well. I holed a good number of putts all day, including a useful eighteen footer on my last green." [Hole-by-hole details below]
If McGrane appeared to have switched onto autopilot, second-placed Edfors spent the latter part of his afternoon on the helter-skelter. Opening with two birdies, he bogeyed third, birdied the par-five 6th then rattled his second into the hole at the 398yd 7th. He added his second two at the par-three 8th to forge a 5-under par outward nine.
After four solid pars to the 14th, life seemed to have calmed down for the 27-year old from Gothenburg, but determined to rejoin the skelter-run, he racked up a four-putt double-bogey on the 15th – then holed out in one single stroke at the 17th – a massive 8-iron from 200 yards. "I thing I got a little anxious on the 15th trying to make eagle. Actually I felt flu-like symptoms over the last few holes and a little tired."
Argentina’s Hernan Rey, tied for third-place with compatriot Daniel Vancsik and Sweden’s Michael Jolson, also had a bumpy ride:
It was a round of two separate parts. I started on the 10th, played very evenly for these nine holes, one birdie, one bogey. Then at the 1st I hit my drive right and eventually we found it, clasped between two branches up in the trees.
I took the unplayable and managed to save a good bogey, got back in my stride with two birdies. Then at the 15th [par-five, 553 yards] where I had only an 8-iron to the green, I went long and took six. Again I recovered, a birdie at the 16th and almost chipped in on the par-3. A really odd day!"
***
10-Par 4-371yds: Drive, 9-iron to 4ft, birdie;
11-Par 4-499yds: 3-iron to trees, lay-up, chip to 6ft, par;
12-Par 4-483yds: Drive, p-wedge to 20ft, par;
13-Par 4-375yds: Drive, lob-wedge to 6ft, par;
14-Par 3-222yds: 4-iron to 15ft, birdie;
15-Par 5-553yds: Drive, 5-wood, chip from fringe to 6ins, birdie;
16-Par 4-454yds: Drive, sand-wedge to 6ft, birdie;
17-Par 3-200yds: 7iron to 12 inches, birdie;
18-Par 4-449yds: Drive, lob-wedge to 6ft, birdie;
1-Par 4-429yds: Drive, wedge, two putts, par;
2-Par 5-577yds: Drive, 3-wood, chip to 4ft, birdie;
3-Par 4-381yds: Drive, s-wedge, 2 putts, par;
4-Par 4-370yds: Drive, pitching-wedge over green, chip, 2-putts, bogey;
5-Par 3-171yds: 9-iron to 20ft, birdie,
6-Par 5-517yds: Drive, 6iron, bunker, splash to 12ins, birdie
7-Par 4-398yds: Drive, lob-wedge to 4ft, birdie
8-Par 3-185yds: 7-iron, over, chip to 3ft, par;
9-Par 4-468yds: Drive, lob-wedge to 18ft, birdie.