Paul Maddy leads by one stroke ahead of the final round of the HotelPlanner.com Championship after the 2012 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit winner shot a five-under-par second-round 65 in the tour's event at Dale Hill Golf Club, East Sussex.
Maddy (Gog Mgog) is seven under par after 36 holes of the 54-hole event, with James Webber and Ruaidhri McGee sharing second place on six under. Billy Downing (Truro) and Daniel Gavins (De Vere Oulton Hall) are two off the lead on five under, while six golfers are a further shot back.
Leader Maddy shot six birdies to sign for a 65, including three successive par breakers from 15 to end his round on a high. The Challenge Tour regular says his game is returning to its best after a slow start to the season, and hopes another EuroPro win can be the springboard to finish his season as well as he finished his second round at Dale Hill.
"I had been struggling in the first half of the season," he admitted. "It took a while to get used to the travelling and my game wasn't in the shape I wanted it to be.
"Over the last month or so I have been gradually getting it back, I feel more confident again and the results are showing.
"If I can play like I did with my long game in the first two rounds, and just maybe hole a few more putts then I will have a chance. I had a lot of chances for birdie in the second round and managed to take a few of them.
"It would be nice to play the par fives a bit better. I am one over for two rounds on the par fives, but they are reachable so I would like to improve on that in the final round."
Webber (Three Rivers /Stock Brook) and McGee (Rosapenna) both shot 66 in their second-round on the par-70 Ian Woosnam Course and are just one behind Maddy with 18 to play.
A mixed back nine of an eagle, three birdies and three bogeys took Webber to four under for his round after earlier birdies on the first and sixth. McGee shot seven birdies as he amassed the same score, but bogeyed the second, third and 11th.
A cut to the leading 50 players plus ties has now been made with all golfers whose 36-hole score is two over par or better proceeding to play Friday's final round.
Entry to the event is free throughout the week, and Sky Sports HD will film the final round for a highlights programme to be shown during the week commencing September 2.
Following the conclusion of this week's HotelPlanner.com Championship, the top six players on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour Order of Merit will gain exemptions to the second stage of European Tour Q School (provided that they have already entered European Tour Qualifying School).
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Published by scottishgolfview.com
