Deliver a maiden Challenge Tour victory
one-stroke lead ov e r America’s Charlie Saxon into a maiden European Challenge Tour victory tomorrow.
One adrift of Koivu is America’s Saxon who is well-placed to challenge for a third title of the season having already won twice on the China Tour this year.
The-24-year-old posted a four- under- par score of 67 to reach eight-under overall – one back from Koivu after 54 holes.
Of those in the chasing pack England’s Marcus Armitage, who is six-underpar in Kunming, is the only player to have triumphed on the Challenge Tour before and will go in search of his second title in China tomorrow, two years after he won the Foshan Open.
■ Steven Stewart broke out of a four-way tie at the end of the first round, into a three-stroke halfway lead after a brilliant eightunder-par second round 62, at the Craigmillar Park Open in Edinburgh.
The Clydebank & District member improved on his opening round of 65, thanks to a bag of 10 birdies and two bogeys in halves of 30 and 32.
His nearest challenger, as the 41 qualifiers with 36-hole tallies of 146 and better move into today’s final 36 holes, is the in-form Kieran Cantley (Liberton), who won last weekend’s Scottish Champion of Champions title at Leven.
Cantley fired a pair of 65s for 130.
In third place on 131 is England’s Sean Heads, who has come up over the Border from Hexham to return scores of 65 and 66.