Fine Hanson Round Puts Pressure On - 18/07/2007

CHRISTOPHER HANSON powered in a faultless 64 on the second day of The Bovey Castle Championship to put himself alongside Sean Whiffin in the lead at the PGA EuroPro Tour event.

The Huddersfield golfer hit six birdies and dropped no shots in a superb round, following up his level par 70 on Tuesday by moving out to -6 on Dartmoor.

Although his round was short of the course record set by James Ruebotham with a 62 in Monday's Pro-Am, it gives Hanson a share of the lead with Whiffin going into the final round.

Whiffin produced six birdies of his own in a round of 68 on Wednesday to move out and join Hanson on -6 and share the lead going into the final round at the second successive tournament.

Phil Rowe's 68 to follow up a first round of 67 sees him a shot off the pace, while a 67 from Tim Rice saw him move out to -4.

Neil Rowlands also shot a 67 to move from +1 to two-under-par, where he sits alongside Paul Doherty (70, 68) going into the final day.

East Devon's Kevin Harper is among five players to sit five shots off the pace at -1 going into the final day, alongside Matthew Woods, Chris Sands, Jonathan Evans and Duncan McCarthy.

Graeme Clark was another player to land six birdies and fire in a 67 on Wednesday, and he is sat at one-over-par alongside 2005 PGA EuroPro Tour Champion Mark Smith, Scottish star Graham Gordon and Wentworth's Jason Kelly.

Kenny Stephenson became just the second player to hit a hole-in-one on the 2006 PGA EuroPro Tour when he aced the 17th - seeing his nine-iron at the 156-yard par three slam dunk into the hole.

He also eagled the par-five 18th, but that was not enough for the Lullingstone Park golfer to make the cut, with the 54 players who scored +6 or better progressing to Thursday's final round.