Joakim Lagergren harnessed happy memories at the K Club to take a one-shot lead into the weekend of the Amgen Irish Open.
Related: Olesen finishes big to share lead in Ireland
The Swede fired a sensational ten under par 62 on the Palmer North Course to move into pole position on 12 under par, one ahead of Frenchman Adrien Saddier in second.
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The 33-year-old won the Irish Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour last season which was played on the K Club’s Palmer South, and he is now targeting another victory at the County Kildare venue.
He holds the course record on the Palmer South Course with a 63 and at one point looked set to threaten Open Champion Darren Clarke’s North Course record of 60.
Lagergren, starting from the tenth, made an explosive start to his second round with three consecutive birdies on the tenth,11th and 12th. Three pars followed before a birdie at the 16th and an eagle at the par five 18th with a well-judged right-to-left putt saw him make the turn in 31.
The three-time HotelPlanner Tour winner birdied the second, fourth and fifth holes before another gain followed at the seventh. He carded his only bogey of the day on the eighth but bounced back with a closing birdie at the ninth to put him in pole position at the halfway stage in Straffan.
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Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy moved into a share of third place at seven under after carding a six under 66 and was inches from a closing albatross in front of his home fans.
Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, Daniel Hillier from New Zealand, and Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen share third with McIlroy.
The Birdies for Wishes campaign enjoyed a successful second day at the K Club, with 87 birdies and 16 eagles carded on the 18th hole, earning a donation of €30,900 from Amgen and the DP World Tour, with the combined total now €56,700,
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The three Amgen ambassadors – Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington and Séamus Power – carded an eagle and eight birdies between them, raising an extra €5000 for Make a Wish Ireland.
