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Frenchmen dominate the
leaderboard
Rookie Gregory Havret leads
the Italian Open by a stroke as Frenchmen slotted into three of the top five places
after two rounds.
The former French Amateur
Champion turned straight around after completing a weather-affected opening seven-under-par
65 to shoot a 66. He heads compatriot Jean Van de Velde and Britain's Mark Roe,
who are both on 12 under.
Another French professional,
Christian Cevaer -- currently ranked 115th which is qualifying mark for a card
for next year -- shrugged off nerves at being under threat to share fifth place,
four strokes off Havret.
Van de Velde, who charged
into contention with a second-round 65, was delighted to see his country to the
fore.
"I don't think there
has ever been two Frenchmen at the top," said the 1999 British Open runner-up.
"It is good. It shows we can compete and play at the highest level.
"Gregory is a particularly
good prospect and he's played really well for two rounds. And we have others that
I hope will come through tour school."
Leader Havret bettered his
career-best 68 score as a pro in both rounds, running up 14 birdies with only
one dropped shot and threatening to lift a flagging season since finishing fifth
in the French Open.
"My goal in my first
season was to make my card and I had it by the end of June." said the leader.
WORKING HARD
"I've played a lot
worse after that, maybe because I got a bit tired in my first year playing four
rounds of golf every week.
"My coach Anne le Connait
and I have been working hard on my putting and that paid off today. I've switched
to a reverse-grip and I've only had 27 putts again today after 26 in the first
round.
"Also, I knew this
course, which helped. I played here in the 1994 Boys Championship against Italy,
Scotland and Sweden and France came second, so I have good memories of Is Molas."
Roe stayed in touch despite
a bizarre closing nine holes in which his only par came at the last in a 69.
"A 69 with three penalty
shots and a three-putt means I've missed a really good chance to go well ahead,"
said the 38-year-old Englishman who plans to retire after next year.
"The back nine was
hilarious, a comedy of errors, but I'm very pleased at the way I kept my head.
In the past I'd have thrown the caddie and the bag into the pond!"
While 1991 Ryder Cup player
Paul Broadhurst and fellow tour winner David Park hung on to try to make cards
in the final event to count, other former champions missed the cut to lose theirs.
Peter Mitchell, Russell
Claydon and Van Phillips all lost out and the 1999 British Amateur Champion Graeme
Storm faces tour school after missing out in his first year.
The 1989 European number
one Ronan Rafferty ended a torrid year when he made his first cut of 2001 at the
19th attempt. He was tied 17th on seven under par after the second round.
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