FAMILIAR FOES SET FOR BATTLE
Dantorp’s cool finish puts Swede in control but home favourite Knox is in the mix again... and could face a swift repeat duel with Fox
SWEDE Jens Dantorp finished in style at Gullane yesterday with a birdie blitz to take charge of the £5.3million ASI Scottish Open.
The 29-year-old from Malmo picked up strokes at each of the last three holes to card a two-under-par 68 and move to 13 under, a shot ahead of six players.
But with no fewer than 26 competitors separated by only four shots, the stage is set for an intriguing showdown in the glorious East Lothian sunshine today.
Interestingly, two of the chasing pack were also involved in a battle royal seven days ago in the Irish Open at Ballyliffin.
On that occasion, Inverness-born Russell Knox triumphed in a dramatic play-off against New Zealander Ryan Fox, with the Scot taking the honours at the first extra hole.
Only one shot separates the pair in the Rolex Series event after Fox posted a 63 and Knox followed up by carding a 66.
Ryder Cup player Matt Fitzpatrick, former champion Rickie Fowler,
Australian Scott Hend, Germany’s Marcel Siem and Sweden’s Alexander Bjork are also all very much in the mix on 12 under.
The English duo of Aaron Rai and Tyrrell Hatton are in a share of eighth place, a shot further back alongside Knox.
But Fox is the man with revenge in his heart. He also had the distinction of sharing the lowest score of the day yesterday with Hend.
Knox, meanwhile, approached his task with renewed vigour after admitting at halfway that he was running on fumes after being left drained by his second-placed finish at the French Open and his victory in Ireland.
The 33-year-old (right) said he ‘slept like a king’ before enjoying a hearty breakfast of toast, poached eggs and bacon followed by a bowl of mixed fruits.
He said: ‘I felt great. I wasn’t tired after sleeping like a king for 11 hours before eating breakfast and lunch.
‘I’m sure tomorrow will be the same. With a bit of adrenalin and the crowd roaring me on, I can’t wait.’
Knox also fed off the cheers of the 15,000-strong crowd desperate to see a home winner for the first time since Colin Montgomerie at Loch Lomond in 1999. And he reckons that the fans give him an edge after recalling how Rory McIlroy was roared home at the 2016 Irish Open, where Knox finished tied second. He added: ‘I remember it well and if it’s me versus someone who isn’t Scottish, I sure hope they root for me. ‘Winning my home Open is a massive goal. It would be a dream come true and other than a major, is up there with the tournament you want to win most. ‘This score gives me a chance. I can’t promise anything apart from the fact that I’ll give it everything I’ve got.
‘I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. I’m just trying to play with a smile on my face, which seems to work.
‘I still haven’t come down from winning in Ireland and I have to hammer down and play my game tomorrow and hope I’m able to beat everyone.’
Fox, who has a huge sporting pedigree as the son of a rugby World Cup winner, also sleep-walked his way into the event.
He said: ‘My energy levels were probably down from last week, understandably, but I got a good night’s sleep and felt refreshed this morning.
‘To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about anything other than going out and trying to make a score and, thankfully, I did pretty well.’
Fox certainly knows how to scrap after being left battered and bruised by jealous rivals out to make a name for themselves against the son of All Blacks legend Grant. No mean fly-half himself, 31-year-old Fox revealed: ‘I used to hear: “Let’s smash Fox’s kid” a lot and that wasn’t overly fun, especially when some of the boys I was playing against were 110 kilos, strong and fast.
‘I loved the sport, but I had a good four or five serious concussions in my career playing rugby at school and then I caught the golf bug.
‘I didn’t start tournament golf until I was 18, but I think it’s been a pretty good decision. It’s a lot nicer being a golfer than a rugby player.
‘Now to win on the European Tour would be huge. I got as close as you can last week. A couple of inches either way on two putts on 18 and I might have been hoisting the trophy.
‘So, it would certainly be nice to have something go my way this weekend.
‘But there’s a lot of great players out there and I am going to have to produce a pretty special round again tomorrow to contend.
‘I’ll just go out and see what happens. If it’s mine at the end of the day, fantastic, and if not, it’s still been a great couple of weeks regardless.’
Stephen Gallacher is another Scot in contention from the 13 who set out on Thursday and is by no means out of it in a share of 18th, four off the lead.
Connor Syme, who held the course record for most of the day on Friday before being upstaged by Japan’s Hideto Tanihara, was unable to repeat his 62, carding a level-par 72 for his round.
Winning my home Open is a huge goal. It’d be a dream come true