A second 65 in a row helped Germany’s Alexander Knappe leap to the top of the leaderboard in the Foshan Open, and gives him a chance of earning a tour card for 2020. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

ALEXANDER Knappe carded his second successive 65 to lead the European Challenge Tour’s Foshan Open by one stroke at the end of round two at Foshan Golf Club.

The German reached 14-under par without carding a bogey after a second successive 65.

And the 34-year-old leads by one shot at the halfway stage from Australia’s Cory Crawford, who also posted a 65 to reach 13-under.

Royal Liverpool’s Matthew Jordan and Wiltshire’s Ben Stow, meanwhile, share third place on 11-under alongside Portugal’s Ricardo Santos.

Playing on an invite this week, Knappe is currently ranked 89th on the Road to Mallorca rankings following a disappointing season.

However a victory in China will catapult him into contention for a European Tour card, with current projections showing he could leap to 12th place in the money list.

With 14 birdies and an eagle on his card over the first two days, Knappe has highlighted his putting as a key factor for his strong performance so far at Foshan.

Knappe said: “I putted really well during the first two days and I think that has been key. It always keeps me going and I holed a long few putts today, which was good.

“I just like it out here in China because it’s hot and I can swing freely. The flowers and the nature inspire me and I just like to play on these courses.

“There was almost no wind today, maybe a half a club’s worth, and the weather couldn’t be better,” said Knappe, who won twice on the Challenge Tour in 2016, including the Hainan Open, the event that precedes Foshan on the current schedule.

“I just tried to play my best. I don’t have a game plan. I’ll just take it shot-by-shot over the weekend and that’s it,” added Knappe, who lost his European Tour card in 2017, after earning promotion from the Challenge Tour in 2016.

A shot behind the trio of Jordan, Santos and first round leader Stow are five players in a share of sixth on 10-under par.

They include Hampshire’s Road to Mallorca No. 5 ranked Richard Bland, Poland’s Adrian Meronk, Dutchman Lars van Meijel and Chinese player Bai Zheng-kai, who beat Stow’s one-day-old course record with a bogey-free nine-under par 63.

The final player in a tie for sixth place is Scotland’s Calum Hill, who carded the fourth hole-in-one of his life on his way to a 66 in his second round.

Hill, who has already won twice on the European Challenge Tour in 2019, said: “I had 167 yards and it was just perfect for an eight-iron for me.

“I started it 10 yards right of the pin and drew it in and it took one hop and disappeared into the hole.

“This is a fantastic event. I came here for the first time last year and the golf course is brilliant.

“The hospitality is amazing and it’s a brilliant event to come to. I always have a good time.”

One amateur and 70 professionals made the cut on two-under or better. The third round will begin at 6.50am local time, with Kade McBride playing with a marker. The final pairing of Knappe and Crawford will tee off at 12.30pm.

•For live scoring from Foshan Golf Club click here.

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Wiltshire’s Ben Stow believes a six-week break In July after an injury, has left him feeling fresher for the China leg of the European Challenge Tour. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WILTSHIRE’S Ben Stow celebrated his birthday in style by setting a new course record of 64 at Foshan Golf Club to lead the Foshan Open by one stroke after the opening day.

The 28-year-old sits one shot ahead of Germany’s Alexander Knappe, who would have joined Stow as holder of the course record of eight-under par, if not for a closing bogey to leave him on seven-under.

Another six players share third place on six-under, including 2017 Champion Oliver Farr.

Stow, playing in the first group of the day off the 10th tee, bounced back from a double bogey on the 17th hole – his eighth – with a birdie to make the turn in two-under.

The 2013 Brabazon Trophy winner then notched five consecutive gains from the second to the sixth, which catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

And a closing birdie saw him beat the existing course record of 65, set by Wales’ Rhys Davies and Aussie Scott Arnold.

Stow, alongside playing partners Wil Besseling and Simon Hawkes, raced around Foshan Golf Club, with their front nine taking just one hour and 50 minutes and Stow spoke of how much he enjoyed the pace of play.

“It was great to play so quickly,” Stow said. “We played the front nine in one hour and 50 minutes, which in tournament golf is unheard-of,” revealed Stow, who is currently 26th on the Road to Mallorca.

“It was great. We were out first and with Wil and Simon – none of us are slow – we didn’t really rush. We just played when we were ready. It was really enjoyable actually.

“I played great and putted well so I’m really chuffed. I’ve been working really hard recently so it’s nice to get some results,” said Stow, who was a member at Rushmore GC, on the Hampshire-Wiltshire border, as a junior.

The 2011 Faldo Series UK winner would love a top 15 finish to the season to earn promotion to the European Tour and join former Wiltshire team-mate Jordan Smith.

Stow added: “I played really solid and I just hit one bad tee shot down 17. Where I left my approach shot left me with a very, very fast putt and I just missed it coming back.

“I knew I was playing well and on 18 the wind was down when we played it. So I managed to get it quite a long way up 18 and then I easily made the green in two – then it was a good two-putt.”

The 2018 Prague Golf Challenge winner missed a period of time earlier this year through injury, having also suffered a serious knee injury before his breakthrough win a year ago.

But despite the frustration of being side-lined at the time, Stow admits he is now reaping the benefits of the enforced mid-season break.

“Traditionally I haven’t played very well in China, but I had six weeks off this year with an injury in July, and right now, I think it’s a bit of a saving grace because I feel fresh and quite chilled out,” said Stow, who spent four years playing for Kentucky University’s Wildcats.

“In previous years I’ve always played quite a lot and then got here and felt quite tired. So maybe the moral of the story is take a month off in July.”

Joining Farr in a tie for third place on six-under is Australia’s Cory Crawford, Royal Liverpool’s Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil Champion Matthew Jordan, Finland’s Roope Kakko, Kent’s Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge winner Steven Tiley and Italy’s Aron Zemmer.

Rounding off the top 10 in a tie for ninth place on five-under is Portugal’s Ricardo Santos and China’s Liu Yanwei, who is currently the leading Chinese player.

•The second round of the Foshan Open begins at 6.55am local time on Friday, with leader Stow due off at 11.10am.

To follow live scoring click here.

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