Wallace in his element as he leads in China
Englishman on top at halfway stage Scrivener frustrated by sloppy finish
England’s Matt Wallace is relishing being the man to catch after claiming the halfway lead in the Volvo China Open in Beijing.
Wallace added a second round of 70 to his opening 65 at Topwin Golf and Country Club to finish nine under par, a shot ahead of Australian Jason Scrivener, Spain’s Nacho Elvira and American Sihwan Kim.
Defending champion Alexander Levy struggled to a 73 to be two under par, but with the cut falling at one under the entire 69-strong field is separated by just eight shots.
Wallace, who led from start to finish to claim his first European Tour title in Portugal last year, said in an interview broadcast by Sky Sports: “It was tough all day.
“The wind stayed up all afternoon and it was swirling as well. I couldn’t get the ball close enough and it was frustrating, but it was pleasing to birdie the last after a bogey on 17 and I’ll take confidence from that into the weekend.
“I’m going to sleep on the lead, which I kind of like doing and we’ll go out tomorrow and try to play as well as possible. I love leading from start to finish if I can, I’ve done it a few times on the Alps Tour. We’ve got a long way to go but I’m playing nice stuff and I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Scrivener looked like he would lead the way heading into today’s round after firing five birdies and an eagle, but had to settle for a 69 after running up a double-bogey on the ninth, his final hole of the day.
“It was very frustrating,” Scrivener said. “I could feel I was kind of leaking away towards the end. I’m pretty exhausted after being awake since 2am but there are no excuses, it’s just not the best way to finish a round.
“I feel like I have progressed slowly over the last couple of years and I feel like I’m close to winning out here,” added Scrivener.
“I’ve just got to put myself in these positions more often.
“I have to work hard and be persistent and hopefully that win will come soon. Eight under is a good position to be in and it’s great to be in the mix for the weekend.”