Olesen hits course record 61 at Gran Canaria to take lead

Published Apr. 23, 2021 3:44 p.m. ET
Associated Press

LAS PALMAS, Spain (AP) — Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen shot 9 under for a course record 61 to take the lead of the Gran Canaria Open after two rounds on Friday.

Olesen hit an eagle on a par-5 hole to go with seven birdies on an error-free day at the Meloneras Golf Course on Spain’s Canary Islands.

Olesen, who became a father this month, said his laid-back approach was key to his good play in his first event of the season after recovering from a wrist injury.

“It was an amazing experience to get a son three or four weeks ago, and I didn’t have much practice before coming here, just last week. So I had low expectations,” Olesen said. “But it was great fun to be out there … I was so just in the present and not really thinking about the score very much, and I think that helped me a lot.”

ADVERTISEMENT

On a day of low scores, Sam Horsfield and Connor Syme also shot a record 61 for the round. Horsfield is four shots back, and Syme six shots off the pace.

Rhys Enoch and Wil Besseling are one shot behind Olesen, followed by Matthias Schwab, Robin Roussel and Maximilian Kieffer at two back.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

share