Gary Emerson vaults into lead with 63

Britain's Gary Emerson equalled his career-best 63 to take the Dutch Open second round lead on Friday.

Emerson's seven-under-par effort took him to 132, a stroke ahead of joint overnight leader Paul Broadhurst with Italian Alessandro Tadini a further shot back.

Eight birdies in 11 holes from the fifth helped Emerson match his 63 on the first day of last week's Wales Open.

"Two 63s in as many weeks, it's a nice habit to get into," Emerson said.

One of the 64s that had stood as his previous-best was in 2002 at the same course and the 41-year-old Englishman clearly enjoys forested venues.

Emerson won his first full tour title at last year's Russian Open on a similar wooded course near Moscow.

"I like treelined courses because I find it easier to pick a target," Emerson added.

While Emerson seeks a second win in 10 months, 1991 Ryder Cup player Broadhurst is trying for a second victory in 10 weeks, having won the Portuguese Open in April to end a 10-year barren spell.

Broadhurst has remodelled his swing and his more consistent downswing worked again until he came to grief on the par-four 11th, where he ran up a double-bogey after losing his ball from the tee.

Four successive birdies came after the mishap, however.

"I didn't commit to what I'm trying to do and the old habit crept in," he said. "But it gave me a good kick up the backside and got the new method working again."

Tadini again put himself on a second-round leaderboard with a flawless six-birdie card.

The 31-year-old Italian led last week's event after two rounds at Celtic Manor following a course-record 62.

Dutchman Maarten Lafeber stayed in contention for a second win in two years at his home open after shooting 67 to lie three strokes off the pace.

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