Out of non-appearance comes opportunity and scope for a fairytale. It was lost in the buildup to the Turkish Airlines Open that Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Martin Kaymer and others’ refusal to participate opened the door for less decorated professionals to earn a life-changing sum. First prize here is £950,000.
The average world ranking of the top seven players on the leaderboard after 36 holes is 189. Thongchai Jaidee, who is 51st, is the standout thoroughbred. Yet it is another player, Thorbjorn Olesen, who is seeking to canter towards a fourth win on the European Tour and his first since the Dunhill Links Championship of 2015. Halfway through this event, Olesen leads by six strokes. A closing six holes on Friday played in the same number under par contributed to a stunning 62, nine under, for the Dane. Olesen even had the temerity to make a bogey at the 11th before his rocket-fuelled run for home.
“I feel like I’ve been up in contention in a lot of big events, so I feel pretty comfortable,” the 26-year-old said. “There are still 36 holes to go, so that’s a lot of golf to be played, but I have to keep being aggressive out there, keep going after some of the pins to try to make birdies. That’s the only way I can win.
“I think I found something in Portugal a few weeks ago. I didn’t score that well there but I felt like I was playing a lot better so I was hoping for something good to come. Yesterday was a great putting display, and today I played better and still putted great, so it’s been a really good couple days.”
Olesen’s promise has never been in doubt, even if he has not fully capitalised on it, though injury has played a part. He was taken to the Ryder Cup by Europe’s captain, Darren Clarke, with the aim of offering inspiration. Time is still on the side of the man from Copenhagen, who was sixth in the 2013 Masters.
Olesen has an aggregate of 15 under par. His closest challengers are Jaidee and Adrian Otaegui, the latter a Spaniard who easily retained his European Tour card for this season with winnings of just under €400,000. Perhaps that freedom contributed to a second round of 63.
The Italian Matteo Manassero, who has slipped to No356 in the world, is at eight under par and in a tie for third. “It’s been quite a long process,” the 23-year-old said. “I would say at the beginning of this year, I had a really deep thought with myself. I just answered a few questions I needed to in order to keep going. I basically made a clean sheet and started again from March onwards. It’s been a good development since and I’m happy where I’m standing now.
“The best lesson is that you teach yourself many more things than what everybody else can teach you. You go through low moments and everybody is going to go through them; I didn’t know that before 2014 and 2015.
“Obviously Thorbjorn is playing great golf here but there is still a long way to go and I’m thinking about myself, my game, nothing else. That is in pretty good shape, so that’s the positive I can take.”
Danny Willett’s renewed confidence after an opening round of 69 did not last long. The Masters champion slipped to a 74 in the second round, having failed to record a birdie and later tweeted, “This game is really kicking me in the nuts at the minute”.
Andy Sullivan added a 67 to his first-round 71, while Padraig Harrington made up for Thursday’s 72 by faring three shots better.
Ewan Murray travelled courtesy of Turkish Airlines
