European Tour

Sky Sports British Masters 2018

October 11-14

Walton Heath Golf Club, Walton-on-the-Hill, England

£3,000,000

Live Leaderboard

October 11-14

Walton Heath Golf Club, Walton-on-the-Hill, England

£3,000,000

Live Leaderboard

Round 2

Pepperell powers into Sky Sports British Masters lead

Round 1

Round 3

Round 4

Round 1

Round 3

Round 4

October 12, 2018

Eddie Pepperell strode into a commanding halfway lead at the Sky Sports British Masters after the Englishman carded a three under second round 69 to move three strokes clear at Walton Heath, where tournament host Justin Rose signed for a level par 72 to ensure he is playing at the weekend.

- Getty Images

“I was kind of relieved to get my score in a decent spot early in the round because I didn't feel like I was playing very well. Three under is a good score and I'm very happy with it."

“My short game and my putting has been very good, but my short game has been been for quite a while now. I didn't putt well last week and I never do on slow greens but I tend to putt better on quick greens – I'm focussing less on hitting the ball and more on stroking it down the line."

Having claimed his maiden European Tour win at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters earlier this year, Pepperell is chasing his second title of a breakthrough season – the 27 year old currently sits in 11th position on the Race to Dubai.

He has made eight consecutive cuts since July, including runner-up finishes at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and the Portugal Masters, and the Oxford player continued that remarkably consistent form as he overcame the tricky windy conditions to card five birdies en route to an eight under total.

That opened a sizable gap at the top, with three-time winner this season Matt Wallace in second place on five under after registering a level par 72 not long before play was suspended overnight due to darkness. Frenchman Julien Guerrier was five under through 15 holes before play was called to a halt, while Jordan Smith was in the clubhouse on four under.

“It was a nice way to start," said Wallace. "I think they said the putt was about 85 feet, so that's a nice one for the stats. That 2nd hole is really tough to hit the fairway. The lay-up is tough, and I think it was just brutal anyway today with the wind, especially with how fast the greens are, and the wind buffeting off the side."

“I had a testing four-footer downhill right to left with the wind down out of the right on the first, which I managed to hole, otherwise it might have been off the green. I'm really happy with how I'm playing, though. I felt like I left quite a few shots out there today, so that's a positive."

World Number Two Rose, meanwhile, signed for a level par 72 which will be enough for the 2013 U.S. Open Champion to make the cut after round two concludes on Saturday morning.