James slopes into reckoning at PGA Seniors
06/06/2014
** All the best images from day two here.
Keen skier Mark James slalomed into contention at the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship aided by a blistering run of birdies near the close of his second round at Stoke by Nayland.
The ex-Ryder Cup captain, who on the eve of the £235,000 tournament promised spectators a high standard of golf, proved as good as his word as he reeled off four successive birdies to post a five-under-par 66.
It was an impressive effort by the 60 year old who has played little competitive golf in eight months and revealed he had been hitting the gym, as well as the ski slopes, to tone up for the season’s opener on the European Senior Tour.
“I’ve been off for eight months which seems to be a good thing,” said James. “I spend quite a lot of time skiing, apart from that I’m getting ready for the season, working out a bit and trying to put on a bit of muscle which you lose after the age of 50 every year.”
Steen Tinning, a veteran of gruelling Iron Man endurance events which conclude with a marathon, is keeping pace with James, his 68 leaving the Dane just a stroke behind.
James, who captained Europe in the Ryder Cup at Brookline in 1999, birdied his opening hole – the 418-yard par four 10th. It was the perfect start given the potentially hazardous nature of the hole which overnight leader Des Smyth discovered when he dunked his tee shot in the water running down the right of the fairway to end up with a card wrecking triple bogey.
Further birdies came for James at 14 and 15 on the front nine with a quartet of birdies from the fifth (his 14th) capping a perfect day’s work which might have been even better but for bogeys on the first and ninth holes.
Of his quartet of birdies he said: “I hit it on in two on the par five 5th, knocked it to 10 feet on the next, 25 feet at the next, and 10 feet at the next. I played really well and I missed four or five from 10 feet and under so sort of deserved those. It was a fair result for the round, but in a way I was lucky to make them near the end.
“I’ve swung it really well which is a complete surprise. In fact Gordon Brand Junior on the range this morning asked me if I’d changed my swing which was a confident booster.”
But despite his halfway lead James was keeping a level head going into the weekend.
“I never get too confident, I‘ll just see what happens. It can go as soon as it arrives but will keep trying to do the same thing and see if it works.”
If James does slip up, Tinning is ready to pounce having undertaken a hectic schedule in preparation for the PGA Seniors Championship including playing in the Sunbelt Senior Tour in America where he won in Orlando and also in his native Denmark.
“The PGA Seniors is what I have been working for all year, it’s good to find the right form at the right time. There’s a long way to go but I’ve just got to keep at it and keep consistent and do the right thing.
“I sometimes make it too difficult for myself in my mind, I’ve just got to relax and make it easy for myself.”
Chris Williams is third at six-under-par while England coach and BBC pundit Paul Eales is five under following a 69 with a clutch of players tied at four under including Jamie Spence and Remedy Oak PGA pro Gary Emerson who carded a 68.
PGA East Region pro Paul Curry equalled the best round of the day with his 66 leaving him at one under for the tournament.
