European Challenge Tour

Euram Bank Open 2018

July 26-29

Golf Club Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria

July 26-29

Golf Club Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria

Round 2

No stalling from Crocker at Adamstal

Round 1

Round 3

Round 4

Round 1

Round 3

Round 4

July 27, 2018

Sean Crocker backed-up his opening round 64 with a five under par 65 on Day Two and leads the Euram Bank Open by one shot at the halfway mark in Austria.

- Getty Images

Following pars on the tenth and 11th holes, Crocker missed the green with a gap wedge on the 12th and sensed that an up and down might be crucial for maintaining his momentum.

“It was just a poor shot,” he said. “I short-sided myself, but I made a six-foot par putt and that kind of got me going because I birdied the next three holes.”

Despite a dropped shot at the 16th – one of only two so far this week — the Florida resident was pleased with his start to the tournament.

“I’m hitting good shots, hitting a lot close and making them and making the odd 10 to 15-footer when I need to,” he said. “It was a little more stress-free than yesterday — if that makes sense after shooting a worse score — but it just flowed a little easier.

“I missed a few more greens but I putted a little better and hit some good shots. It was similar to yesterday, it could have been better, it could have been worse.”

Last week, Crocker made the cut at The 147th Open Championship and got as high as tied-sixth during the third round. The experience has left him believing that he has what it takes to succeed at the highest levels.

“Although it was short lived there, because I dropped shots on the next two holes, I learned to just keep on doing what I’m doing.

“I’m hitting the ball well and my heads in a good spot so if I can just keep on doing what I’ve been doing the last two days, I should be alright for the most part.”

Nipping at his heels is the Road To Ras Al Khaimah leader Joachim B. Hansen, who has opened his tournament with a pair of 65s to sit alone in second place, only one shot back.

A victory at the Euram Bank Open would be monumental for both players. A win for Crocker would secure his status on the European Challenge Tour and would put him squarely in the mix for a coveted top-15 spot on the Road To Ras Al Khaimah. Should Hansen – who was already won twice this season – go on to lift the trophy, he would immediately graduate to the European Tour under the three-win rule.

The stakes are high for both players, and the weekend could turn out to be quite the duel between the current front-runners.

“Every single time I saw a leaderboard, JB Hansen was right next to me the whole time,” said Crocker. “The scores are out there to be shot, and it’s not like I ran away from the field today at any point.

“There’s always going to be a few guys who will go low, so it’s just a matter of who’s going lower or who’s making fewer mistakes.”

In with a chance of his own is home-favourite Manuel Trappel. The Austrian opened with rounds of 68-64 to jump 19 spots on the leaderboard and into a share of fourth place on eight under par.

In all, 63 players survived the 36-hole cut and will play the weekend at Golf Club Adamstal when Day Three commences at 7:30 am local time with Hansen and Crocker set to go at 12:40 pm.