Söderberg extends home advantage

Stimpmeter · June 7, 2024, 6:30pm

Home favourite Sebastian Söderberg stayed bogey-free through 36 holes to put himself in a commanding position heading into the weekend at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.

The Swede is in sensational form, having finished second, second and third, and made the cut at the US PGA Championship in his last four starts.

He opened with a 63 at Vasatorps Golfklubb and a second-round 66 moved him to 15 under, three shots clear of Scotland’s Scott Jamieson.

Jamieson carded a 65 to sit a shot ahead of playing partner Julien Guerrier, with 2022 champion Linn Grant the leading female player in the group at nine under alongside fellow Swedes Jens Dantorp and Jesper Svensson and Spaniard Jorge Campillo.

Campillo, Dantorp and Svensson all carded rounds of 67 to sit a shot ahead of Swede Alexander Björk, England’s Alex Fitzpatrick, South African Dylan Frittelli and Scot Calum Hill.

Frittelli’s round of 71 included three birdies and two bogeys.

Söderberg has yet to miss a cut in the 2024 season from 11 starts, finishing in the top 10 on six occasions to sit fifth in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

That makes him the highest-ranked player without a win in the current campaign but he is on track to go one better than the six second-places he has recorded since claiming his only DP World Tour win to date in Switzerland.

“It was quite different to yesterday,” he said. “I had a stretch in the middle for eight or nine holes where it felt like I was saving par on every hole. But I played really well the last seven or eight holes.

“The putting was still solid. Obviously the short game, getting up and down on these greens [was key].

“It looks a lot more steady than it is on the inside. I just try and stay as neutral as possible. You’re always going to have some ups and downs, pulse-wise. Just got to try and stay calm for the rest of the week.”

Starting on the 10th, Söderberg looked like he could run away with it as he took advantage of his par-five opener and then put an approach to eight feet at the 11th before eight pars followed.

A tee-shot to nine feet on the par-three 2nd then reignited his round and he left himself seven feet at the 5th before holing an 18-footer on the par-five next for eagle to lead by six shots from the rest of the morning wave.

Jamieson birdied the par-five 10th and 12th after laying up and holed from 23 feet on the 13th but really came to life on the front nine.

He hit a smart approach into the 1st, got up and down on the par-five 3rd and then took advantage of the 6th.

A 15-footer on the 7th and stunning approach to the 8th had him within two but he bogeyed his final hole to give Söderberg some breathing room.

Guerrier also took advantage of the 10th and 12th after laying up and holed from outside 15 feet on the 15th and 17th to turn in 32.

A two-putt birdie on the 3rd was then followed by a hole-out eagle from the sand on the 6th, with the Frenchman making an 18-footer on the 8th for the lowest round of the day.

This week’s event sees 78 men and 78 women play in the same groups for one prize fund and one trophy, with Grant lifting the silverware two years ago after romping to a nine-shot victory.

Her chances of a second crown looked to be fading when she made three bogeys in a row from the 5th to slip two over for the day but she responded with a hat-trick of gains and added three more in a 68.

Swede Ellinor Sudow made a hole-in-one on the 14th when she holed an eight iron from 161 yards.

– Edited report from DP World website

Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images

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