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Jamie Donaldson
Donaldson in contention
15/ 8/2008
A SECOND consecutive 68 kept Macclesfield-based Jamie Donaldson in contention at the SAS Masters in Stockholm.
The 32-year-old Welshman posted a hat-trick of birdies, starting on the 15th - his sixth hole - and it could have been even better had he not dropped two shots coming home.
Bristol 20-year-old Chris Wood, who shot to fame with fifth place as an amateur in the Open last month, had charged into an early lead at his first professional tournament.
Four birdies in the opening six holes of his second round lifted Wood from joint 34th to the top of the leaderboard alongside Dougherty, Baker, Broadhurst, Spaniard Pedro Linhart and Hanson.
The former England international's inspired performance at Royal Birkdale was the best by an amateur in a major since Justin Rose came fourth on the same course 10 years ago.
Rose then missed 21 successive cuts at the start of his pro career, but Wood had higher sights than merely being part of the weekend action at Arlandastad.
Consistent
“I didn't come here to make the cut - I've got to do well to make my card and avoid the qualifying school,” said the six ft five ins golfer after his opening level par 70.
“I think my game is pretty consistent. I can see myself finishing top 20 quite a few times and if I have a good putting week that can be top 10, top five.”
As a new convert to the paid ranks - he spent a week after The Open thinking about his future and then joined the stable of Ernie Els and Ryder Cup quartet Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Paul McGinley and David Howell - Wood is allowed seven invitations on the European Tour this season.
He needs to earn just short of £150,000, the same as he would have pocketed at Birkdale if he had been allowed to keep the money, to avoid the dreaded school.
A victory on Sunday would be worth more than £200,000 and would give him a Tour exemption until the end of 2010.
Wood, also in the field in Holland next week and Scotland the week after, was the first player to tee off this morning at 7.30am and after a birdie on the 428-yard 11th, his second, he added three more in a row from the 13th.
Linhart, who had shared the overnight lead on four under with Ryder Cup hopeful Dougherty and Hanson, went in front on his own with a birdie at the sixth, but bogeyed the next.
Broadhurst opened with a birdie to join them and Baker picked up a two on the short fourth to make it a six-way tie.
Wood, whose debut began yesterday with a hook into water, lipped out for another birdie on the long 17th and remained four under with seven to play, but he was pushed down into third place after his first bogey of the day on the 481-yard seventh to be two back, while Baker had three in a row from the ninth and dropped three behind.
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