Defending champion Charl Schwartzel claimed a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the Alfred Dunhill championship in South Africa, despite complaining of some “very, very iffy” pin positions at the Leopard Creek course.
Schwartzel carded a second-consecutive 68 to finish alongside South African Open winner Morten Orum Madsen on eight-under-par 136, with Madsen’s fellow Dane Soren Hansen and England’s Ross Fisher a shot behind in second.
Despite not dropping a shot Schwartzel was unhappy with several of the hole locations on the back nine, the former Masters champion having to play at a 90 degree angle away from the pin on the par-3 12th, where the severe slope helped Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo win a BMW earlier in the day for a hole in one.
Schwartzel said: “There were a few pin positions that were very iffy, 13 and 14, in particular. They have gone too close to the limit. Maybe they put them out in the dark.”
Madsen had held the overnight lead after an opening 65 and remained top of the leaderboard after England’s Richard Finch suffered a nightmare finish to his second round. Two-time European Tour winner Finch lost his card at the end of the 2013 season and failed to regain it at the qualifying school but received an invite from the tournament sponsors to compete here.
The 36-year-old from Hull looked on course to make the most of it when he picked up six birdies in his first 15 holes to move into a three-shot lead on 10 under par.
However, Finch, who won the New Zealand Open and Irish Open in short 16th, dropped another shot on the 17th and then dumped his approach to the 18th into the water guarding the green to card a double-bogey 7.
That gave him a 70 and halfway total of six under par, two behind Madsen, who had a rollercoaster round of his own in pursuit of back-to-back wins.
Madsen carded two double-bogeys, two bogeys, an eagle and five birdies in his 71.