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It’s moving day at the men’s Olympic golf as the players head into round 3. Join The Roar for live coverage of round 3 from 8:30pm (AEST).
Australia’s Marcus Fraser (-10) continues to lead but his margin has been cut to one shot by Belgium’s Thomas Pieters. Henrik Stenson looms large only two strokes back of the lead.
A whole host of players sit at -5 and -4 and will need low rounds today to make their mark on the tournament.
Can the Aussie hold his nerve, will the class of Stenson rise to the top, or will someone jump out of the congestion to stamp themselves as a contender?
Round 2 was played in ideal scoring conditions with morning rain softening the greens and allowing the players to attack the pins with conviction.
Overnight leader Marcus Fraser played flawlessly through the front and at one stage had a four-shot lead.
A combination of nerves on the back nine and the excellent play of Pieters and Stenson saw his lead slashed to one shot by day’s end.
Most of the scoring was done on the last three holes the driveable par four 16th, the short par three 17th, and the very reachable par five 18th.
A number of players finished their rounds birdieing the final three holes including Pieters, Danny Lee in shooting a round best -6 65 went a step further and finished with four consecutive birdies.
Other notable names still in contention include Justin Rose (-6), Gregory Bourdy (-6) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (-5).
Those in need of super low round include Matt Kuchar (-3), Bubba Watson (-2), Patrick Reed (-1), Sergio Garcia (-1), Danny Willet (-1), and Martin Kaymer (-1).
The weather forecast is for clear skies and light to moderate winds, expect more tough pin placements to offset the lack of wind.
In round 3 players will remain in threesomes with the final group of Fraser, Stenson, and Pieters teeing off at 12.10am (AEST).
Prediction
Fraser started to show the pressure of leading the Olympics on his back nine yesterday as his putter deserted him and some waywardness off the tee crept in.
Pieters and Stenson with their prodigious length took advantage of the easier holes coming in as Fraser struggled. Who plays the last three holes the best will dictate the leader on Saturday and the champion on Sunday.
The stage is set for Stenson to make a statement and assert his dominance the fact that he will be playing with the other two leaders allows him to apply pressure directly.
Expect Stenson to shoot mid-sixties and take a 1-2 stroke lead over Pieters/Fraser going into the final round.