Outstanding Olesen leads in Turkey

Thorbjorn Olesen will take a massive six-shot lead into the weekend of the Turkish Airlines Open after a stunning second round.
The Dane lit up the back nine in Antalya to card a course record nine-under-par 62, leaving him on 15 under for the tournament, six strokes ahead of veteran Thongchai Jaidee and Adrian Otaegui.
A birdie on the final hole on Thursday gave Olesen a round of 65 and he continued where he left off on Friday, making gains on the first, sixth eighth and ninth.
While a bogey on the 11th would set him back, Olesen would play the final six holes in six under par to open up a gap on the rest of the field.
Included in his thrilling closing run was fantastic eagle on the par five 15th, thanks to an uphill 30-footer.
On the 18th, Olesen stuck a wedge from 120 foot out to within five feet and rolled in one final birdie for the course record and big lead heading into the weekend in Turkey.
The best of Olesen's 62 in under 150 seconds.#TurkishAirlinesOpen pic.twitter.com/la2BqK7fb6
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 4, 2016
"I feel like I've been up in contention in a lot of big events," said the Dane. "I feel pretty comfortable. There's still 36 holes to go, so that's a lot of golf to be played, but I have to keep being aggressive out there. That's the only way I can win.
"A lot of things can happen on this course. You have quite a lot of water on it and you can get in some trouble.
"There's a lot of birdie and eagle chances out there so anything can happen. I have to keep being aggressive out there, keep going after some of the pins and still be aggressive on the greens as well."
After 36 holes:
-14 Olesen
-9 Jaidee
-9 Otaegui
-8 Manassero
-8 Lagergren
-8 Horsey
-8 LiRecap: https://t.co/NzFLhbLBQl pic.twitter.com/aWiPcAmGJ4
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 4, 2016
Lying in tied-second place a full six shots back are Spaniard Otaegui, who also went seriously low on Friday with a 63, and Thai veteran Jaidee, who followed up his opening 67 with another quality round of 66.
Meanwhile, David Horsey, Matteo Manassero, Joakim Lagergren and China's Haotong Li are in a group of players on eight under a further shot back in a tie for fourth.
Masters Champion Danny Willett continued his recent struggles to card a 74, leaving him one over par. The Englishman was hoping to steal a march on his Race to Dubai rivals Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson, who are both sitting this week's event out, but he has left himself too much to do over the weekend.
Latest
-
News
Westwood, McDowell back petition to allow English golf courses to open
The duo have added their names to a petition that has passed 100 000 signatures.
-
News
Xander Schauffele pledges to ‘fake it until I make it’ after contracting Covid
Schauffele is one of 16 players in the Sentry Tournament of Champions who failed to win an official event last season.
-
News
After years with TaylorMade, Jon Rahm joins Callaway
Spaniard will have Callaway woods and irons in his bag at Sentry Tournament of Champions.
-
News
What to expect from the 2021 OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic
There are more prestigious events on the European Tour, but there’s no denying that the Dubai Desert Classic just has something about it.
-
News
Organisers delay ticketing process for 2021 Masters as another fan shutout looms
Augusta National Golf Club is considering its options before making a call on 2021 Masters.
-
News
Tiger Woods’ former swing coach: I think I over-coached him
Sean Foley reckons he didn’t give Tiger the help he really needed.
-
News
Greg Norman returns home from hospital to await coronavirus test results
The 65-year-old spent Christmas Day in hospital after experiencing symptoms.
-
News
Greg Norman in hospital with coronavirus
The 65-year-old shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed on Christmas Day.
-
News
Lee Westwood sees age as no barrier to his golfing aspirations
Westwood, at the age of 47, has been crowned European Tour’s Golfer of the Year for 2020.
-
News
Tiger Woods and son Charlie finish seventh in PNC Championship
Tiger said it was “incredibly special” to spend quality time with his son on the golf course.