Dredge in control after bad day for Bjørn

Bradley Dredge shot a three-under-par 68 on Friday to open up a four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Made in Denmark European Tour event in Aalborg.

 

The 41-year-old Welshman shared the lead overnight with Chile's Felipe Aguilar and home hope Thomas Bjørn at five under, but while they endured difficult days in northern Denmark, Dredge produced four birdies in the last six holes to move to eight under par for the tournament.

 

That leaves him four shots clear of closest challenger Simon Wakefield of England, who had a four-under-par 67 which would have been even better were it not for a bogey five at the last.

 

On a day that was affected by a one-hour delay due to the threat of lightning, Aguilar only managed a 74, while former Ryder Cup winner Bjørn dropped a shot at the first hole on the way to a 73.

 

Instead, the biggest home threat over the weekend could come from the 24-year-old Thorbjørn Olesen, who is one of several players in joint-third alongside Bjørn and five shots off the pace.

 

Olesen's round of 70 featured four birdies as well as a double-bogey seven at the long 13th hole, but he is hoping the support from the galleries at the Himmerland course can propel him forward over the weekend.

 

"The crowds have been great," he said. "It's like playing a major championship out there. I've never seen anything like it. It's incredible and it really gave me a big boost out there. I was grinding it out today and I managed to get it under par. It was a great feeling being in front of this crowd. It's good fun. I can't imagine what it is going to be like over the weekend."