Spurgeon faces test of character as he pursues maiden victory

England’s Kevin Spurgeon took a giant stride towards securing his maiden European Senior Tour title with a sparkling five-under-par 67 in the second round of the Mauritius Commercial Bank Open on the Legend course at Constance Belle Mare Plage.

Spurgeon’s six-birdie performance on another day of soaring temperatures earned him a two-shot lead going into the final day but he will need to survive the ominous threat posed by South Africa’s David Frost and fellow Englishmen Nick Job, Peter Mitchell and Glenn Ralph if he is to realise his dream. The 54-year-old from Dorset started the day on one-under-par, four strokes behind first round pacesetter Ralph but by the eighth hole that deficit had been wiped out as Spurgeon picked up birdies at the third, fourth, sixth and eighth. Another birdie at the 13th was followed by a bogey five at the deceptively tricky 16th but Spurgeon repaired the damage with a birdie four at the last.

“I holed some nice putts today,” he said. “The only glitch came at the 16th where I had a three-putt.” Spurgeon admitted that he had not bee happy with his game before he flew out to Mauritius: “I had struggled before this week but I feel quite comfortable at the moment and I’m pleased to be in contention.” The highly successful and experienced David Frost, who is making his Senior Tour debut, could well provide the greatest challenge to Spurgeon. He did little wrong during his second round, dropping a shot at the fourth but getting it back with a birdie at the ninth before making an eagle three – with a driver, five-iron and putt – at the 18th to card a two-under-par 70. “I hit a lot of good shots today and I had a lot of good putts,” said Frost, “but nothing would drop. “This is a very strategic course so tactics are likely to play a big part in the final round.”

Frost starts the day two strokes off the lead as does Nick Job, the only man in the final group who has won on the Senior Tour. Sixty-year-old Job, who has five Tour titles under his belt, has been a regular visitor to the Constance Belle Mare Plage in recent years, so if course knowledge becomes a factor, he could certainly be one to benefit. He finished his second round with a flourish, making three birdies in the final six holes for a three-under-par 69 to move right into contention. Overnight leader Ralph Glenn slipped back to finish the day three strokes off the lead following his two-over-par 74.

“I didn’t play well today,” he said. “I got out of position a few times and when you do that, you don’t get many birdie chances.” Glenn also found the semi-rough difficult to contend with, as did many players: “I hit four really good irons out of the rough but they all went through the green.” Londoner Peter Mitchell, second at the start of the day, was another frustrated by the strong, coarse grass that lines the fairways and surrounds the putting surfaces. “I never really holed anything,” he said after a round that included four bogeys in six holes on the back nine. “I missed too many greens and I couldn’t get up and down. “But I’m in a good position and if that’s my bad round, then I’m really happy.” Ralph and Mitchell are joined in the penultimate group by Sweden’s Peter Dahlberg, who added a two-under-par 70 to his 71 from the previous day, collecting four birdies on his inward half.

Doug Johnson, of the USA who held a share of second place at he start of the day, fell away dramatically with a five-over-par 77. Leading scores: 138 K Spurgeon (Eng) 71 67; 140 N Job (Eng) 71 69, D Frost (RSA) 70 70; 141 P Dahlberg (Swe) 71 70, P Mitchell 68 73, G Ralph 67 74; 142 B Boyd 73 69 (US), J Bland (RSA) 72 70, GJ Brand (Eng) 72 70, A Franco (Par) 70 72.

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Neil webber