Seve-like Lee hot on the heels of Aussie Dodt at Wentworth
Lee Westwood has a laugh with caddie Billy Foster yesterday. Henrik Stenson, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Japan’s HidetoTanihara on four under. Tanihara’s 67 was the lowest score of the day and lifted him 32 places up the leaderboard.
Dodt credited his good form at the end of last season and current performance to improving his mental approach with sports psychologist Andrea Furst, who worked with Team GB’s gold medalwinning hockey team before last year’s Rio Olympics.
“I reconnected with Andrea in September last year,” the two- time European Tour winner said. “She’s an Aussie based in London. I saw her when I was 20, 21 and then, like any golfer, I was trying to get better with someone else, but I came back to her.
“I’ve concentrated on my breathing and calmness. I got very technical so pushed that to one side and concentrated on playing the game. I didn’t even know my score today because I was so into every shot. I just added them up at the end and it was a 68.”
A victory for Grace on Sunday would be his eighth on the European Tour since 2012, but would also rekindle the debate over his controversial free drop in the first round, when his approach to the 13th plugged in the bank of a bunker, leaving him with an awkward lie on the upslope.
However, after taking his stance in the sand, the 29- year- old called in a rules official and said his feet were touching the rubber sheeting at the base of the bunker, thereby entitling him to a free drop.
The decision prompted Danny Willett, whose former caddie Jonathan Smart is now working for Grace, to use Twitter to ask the Tour for an explanation, while former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley labelled the ruling “ridiculous”.
“To be quite honest, I don’t think I did anything wrong,” Grace reiterated after a 70 which featured four birdies in five holes from the 10th. “The rules official is there for a reason and it was a valid question and he gave me the drop.
“I actually heard that Padraig Harrington was in the same scenario yesterday and he got relief as well. I think it is something that brought the attention to a lot of guys out there that maybe didn’t know about that rule, but now they know.
“Some guys are going to love it and some guys are going to hate it. That’s always the game.”
Julian Suri.