Englishman Robert Rock will take a slender one-shot lead into the weekend at the BMW Italian Open in Turin.
Rock began the second round tied for the leader with fellow countryman Chris Wood, but he shot a birdie at the final hole on Friday to improve to 12-under, just ahead of Wood and Holland’s Joost Luiten.
Rock told europeantour.com: “I hope I can keep this feel for the next couple of days here and take that into the US Open next week - that would be great.
“I’m excited about playing the US Open. My long game can handle it, but can my putting stand up to it as well?
“All I can do is work hard and keep practising and hope that a win will eventually happen. Some people manage it straight away and some take a bit of time and I’ve passed 200 tournaments now.”
The 34-year-old started well with successive birdies at the par-four second and third to edge ahead of playing partner Wood, who began his second round with a birdie at the first followed by a bogey at number two.
It was Wood who would head into the turn with the lead thanks to back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth, but a bogey at the 12th allowed Rock back to the summit following birdies at 11 and 12. Wood responded with birdies at 13 and 15, and Wood’s bogey at the same hole meant the English pair headed into the final three holes level with Luiten on 11-under.
However, Rock had one more birdie in him and it came at the last and that was enough for a four-under-par 68 that puts him ahead at the halfway stage. Wood’s 69 means he shares second with Luiten, who made five birdies, an eagle and two bogeys in a five-under-par 67.
Three Italians feature in a group of six players on 10-under; Matteo Manassero (68), Francesco Molinari (68) and Lorenzo Gagli (66) joining Frenchman Gregory Bourdy (68), Welshman Rhys Davies (68) and England’s Gary Boyd (65) in a share of fourth place.
Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke bounced back from a disappointing opening-round 71 by shooting eight birdies and two bogeys in a six-under-par round that saw him surge up the leaderboard to seven-under after 36 holes.
