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Cape Town - Lucas Bjerregaard and Julien Guerrier share the halfway lead at the Sicilian Open after another wild and windy day at Verdura Golf Club.
Dane Bjerregaard entered round two in a share of the lead but Frenchman Guerrier was the only player to stay bogey-free over two days as he carded a 65 to get to nine under.
Strong winds made it difficult for the afternoon starters but Bjerregaard produced some impressive golf after the turn to get to ten under before a bogey on the 16th dropped him back into a share of top spot after a 68.
"It feels good, it was a battle out there. It was tough, everything from hitting the fairway to five-foot putts are really tough so I'm very happy with my game today. I kept it in play pretty good, not too many hiccups, chipping and putting was alright," said the Dane.
"I got off to a slow start, didn't make birdie on two and four which you pretty much have to - especially in these conditions - so I got a little bit worried but took advantage of some of the tougher holes and all in all I'm very pleased.
"With the rough up like it is, it's important to hit the fairway and if you do that you'll get a couple of chances but it's not easy out there," he said.
"It feels like this is a place where a lot can happen, there's a lot of golf left but I'm gaining confidence every day I'm playing like this. It's not been great so far this year but I'm starting to play a bit better and I'm just taking it all in and gaining a lot of confidence. Hopefully I can keep doing that this week."
Guerrier regained his playing privileges via the Challenge Tour last season after graduating from the Qualifying School in 2009 and 2011 and is already on course for his best season on the European Tour.
His third-place finish at the Oman Open was his best result since the 2014 Madeira Islands Open - Portugal - BPI and one of two top tens this season as he goes in search of a first European Tour victory.
"I'm playing really good. I made no bogies, so in these conditions, in two rounds, to make no bogies is really good," said Guerrier.
"I come from La Rochelle, it's very windy so I think it helped me a lot. I also won the British Amateur so I think I like the windy conditions but it's just two rounds. There are two more rounds so the road is long.
"I'm very happy to be in this position, but it's a long road now, and we will see. it's good to be in this position and to work in this position because you have a lot of pressure and its where we have to play well."
Englishmen Steven Brown and Ryan Evans were then at eight under, just one shot clear of Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who carded the lowest round of the week with a 64.
Swede Joakim Lagergren, who recently finished in a tie for third at the Trophée Hassan II, was five under for the day through nine holes after birdies on the 11th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th, while home favourites Francesco Laporta and Andrea Pavan were then at four under alongside English pair Paul Waring and Steve Webster.
Round Two Scores
133 L Bjerregaard (Den) 65 68, J Guerrier (Fra) 68 65,
134 R Evans (Eng) 65 69, S Brown (Eng) 68 66,
135 M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 71 64,
137 J Lagergren (Swe) 71 66,
138 A Pavan (Ita) 72 66, F Laporta (Ita) 69 69, S Webster (Eng) 70 68, P Waring (Eng) 70 68,
139 T Aiken (RSA) 68 71, N Cullen (Aus) 70 69, A Sullivan (Eng) 67 72, M Korhonen (Fin) 70 69,
140 M Tullo (Chi) 71 69, L Herbert (Aus) 69 71, S Fernandez (Esp) 67 73, T Murray (Eng) 70 70, J Kruyswijk (RSA) 72 68, A Da Silva (Bra) 67 73, S Gros (Fra) 68 72,
141 B Stow (Eng) 71 70, E Park (Kor) 68 73, E Pepperell (Eng) 72 69, C Koepka (USA) 72 69, E Molinari (Ita) 71 70, T Bjørn (Den) 71 70,
142 Z Lombard (RSA) 71 71, T Lewis (Eng) 71 71, N Bertasio (Ita) 74 68, J Kruger (RSA) 72 70, E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 74 68, M Armitage (Eng) 67 75, P Mejow (Ger) 70 72, J Fahrbring (Swe) 74 68, M Schwab (Aut) 69 73, P Angles (Esp) 72 70,
143 D Brooks (Eng) 67 76, G Migliozzi (Ita) 72 71, G Bourdy (Fra) 70 73, N Kimsey (Eng) 71 72, J Dantorp (Swe) 71 72, E Johansen (Nor) 73 70, M Southgate (Eng) 72 71, S Chawrasia (Ind) 72 71, B Ritthammer (Ger) 75 68, K Johannessen (Nor) 68 75, T Fisher Jnr (RSA) 69 74, L Slattery (Eng) 71 72, V Perez (Fra) 73 70, L Canter (Eng) 70 73, H Porteous (RSA) 70 73, E Lipparelli (Ita) 73 70, C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 71 72,
144 P Widegren (Swe) 73 71, M Nixon (Eng) 71 73, A Connelly (Can) 70 74, O Farr (Wal) 73 71, L Gagli (Ita) 72 72, O Lindell (Fin) 74 70, T Pulkkanen (Fin) 74 70, M Baldwin (Eng) 70 74, H Leon (Chi) 70 74, G Manzoni (am) (Ita) 75 69,
145 S Khan (Eng) 74 71, M Millar (Aus) 72 73, R Finch (Eng) 69 76, K Samooja (Fin) 71 74, F Fritsch (Ger) 74 71, J Winther (Den) 71 74, A Knappe (Ger) 71 74, C Braeunig (Ger) 76 69, M Manassero (Ita) 72 73, F Maccario (Ita) 76 69, D Im (USA) 74 71, J Walters (RSA) 73 72,
146 D Howell (Eng) 72 74, N Geyger (Chi) 73 73, N Von Dellingshausen (Ger) 75 71, F Aguilar (Chi) 74 72, B Evans (Eng) 75 71, A Saddier (Fra) 73 73, J Zunic (Aus) 73 73, P Oriol (Esp) 72 74, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 72 74, S Tiley (Eng) 77 69,
147 T Olesen (Den) 74 73, C Syme (Sco) 74 73, R Langasque (Fra) 72 75, M Fraser (Aus) 71 76, R McEvoy (Eng) 73 74, D Drysdale (Sco) 76 71, D Stewart (Sco) 74 73, T Linard (Fra) 77 70, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 78 69, C Ford (Eng) 71 76, J Scrivener (Aus) 76 71, C Mivis (Bel) 73 74, J Heath (Eng) 77 70,
148 M Schneider (Ger) 76 72, R McGowan (Eng) 75 73, J Thomson (Eng) 75 73, E De La Riva (Esp) 75 73, J Maw (Eng) 78 70, A Plant (Eng) 73 75, R McGee (Irl) 77 71, N Johansson (Swe) 73 75, J Geary (Nzl) 74 74, M Lafeber (Ned) 77 71, Ó Serna (Mex) 74 74, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 72 76, S Horsfield (Eng) 78 70, D Horsey (Eng) 72 76, P Geerts (Ita) 78 70, Y Touhami (Mar) 76 72,
149 F Zucchetti (Ita) 73 76, E Goya (Arg) 77 72, A Quiros (Esp) 79 70, C Blomstrand (Swe) 71 78, S Heisele (Ger) 75 74,
150 A Tadini (Ita) 74 76, A Turner (Eng) 72 78, M Lundberg (Swe) 70 80, B Dredge (Wal) 77 73, N Fung (Mas) 69 81, O Wilson (Eng) 74 76, J White (Eng) 71 79, J Janewattananond (Tha) 74 76, J Morrison (Eng) 75 75,
151 A Saracino (Ita) 74 77, A Sandhu (Ind) 75 76, J Stalter (Fra) 78 73, J Carlsson (Swe) 82 69, J Sjöholm (Swe) 84 67, S Vincent (Zim) 74 77,
152 E Di Nitto (Ita) 78 74, L Cianchetti (Ita) 75 77, M Ortolani (Ita) 72 80, C Doak (Sco) 79 73, R Cho (Kor) 78 74, P Bovari (am) (Ita) 77 75,
153 B Neil (Sco) 79 74, P Gal (Cze) 74 79, J Quesne (Fra) 77 76, C Del Moral (Esp) 79 74, J Vecchi Fossa (Ita) 75 78,
154 J Munro (Aus) 76 78,
155 M Foster (Eng) 84 71,
156 M Cea (Ita) 77 79, A Romano (am) (Ita) 71 85,
157 A Michael (RSA) 78 79, G Manfredi (am) (Ita) 81 76,
162 J Arnoy (Nor) 78 84,
165 T Foster (Eng) 85 80,
** S Kjeldsen (Den) 73 WD, H Sturehed (Swe) 75 RT
