TESTING weather conditions made scoring difficult on the second day of the 2004 Sky Sports East Lothian Masters at the Whitekirk GC. With strong winds and temperatures dropping during the morning session, only Tikki Hadjioannou (Maylands GC) managed an under par score – but that was on the back of an opening round 87. Dean Robertson (Golf Minds Ltd) shot 80 in his second round to continue his promising comeback after illness, but Dutchman Inder Van Weerelt’s 76 (two over par) gave him a Clubhouse lead. The afternoon session began more promisingly with Hornsea’s David Close shooting a 72 despite a triple bogey on the 15th.
But the best score of the day was 68 from Steve Standing of Nazeing whose impressive round included six birdies and two bogeys. Standing’s playing partner was Kieran Staunton of Woodcote Park who managed a level par round helped in no small part by an eagle and three birdies which resulted in him leading the field by a stroke at the end of the day’s play. The first hole, Staunton’s tenth, produced the eagle whilst he shot one-under on the fifth, sixth and tenth holes as well as bogeying the fourth, seventh, 15th and 18th. “It was a bit of a rollercoaster round, he admitted. “But when I saw the conditions at the start of the day I knew it would be tough so I’ll take it.”
LEADERBOARD AFTER DAY TWO
Keiran Staunton (Woodcote Park) -3
Steve Standing (Nazeing) -2
L Rhind (Scotland) +1
D Close (Hornsea) +1
Inder Van Weerelt (Holland) +2
Euan McIntosh (Craigielaw) +2
Denny Lucas (Worksop) +2
C Kelly (Unattached) +3
R Fenwick (Bognor Regis) +3
Joe Templer (Henley) +3
M Woods (Newbury Golf Centre) +3
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