Essex’s Oliver Fisher carded a 59 in the second round of the Portugal Masters to lead on 12-under… this year he shot two 65s to get to the top of the leaderboard. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

OLIVER Fisher holds the second round lead at the Portugal Masters for the second-consecutive year after moving to 12-under par at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura.

The 31-year-old Essex pro shared the 36-hole lead in 2018, but holds it outright 12 months on after a second round of 65, which included two eagles and four birdies.

The Englishman made history after carding the European Tour’s first 59 on the same course during last year’s second round and, coincidentally, has reached the score of 12-under again at the same stage in the Algarve.

Fisher, whose sole win came in the Czech Open back in 2011, said: “I played really well the first two rounds last week, the driving was better in France.

“I just got on some bad runs around that course, which can happen. The first two rounds I hit the ball well.

“I didn’t quite hit it as well today, but it was windy,” said Fisher who first came to prominence as an amateur by winning England Golf’s Gold Medal, as a 12-year-old.

“The south-easterly wind makes a few drives tricky. I’m pleased to hit 65, I’m looking forward to the weekend,” added Fisher, who played in the Walker Cup in 2005, in Chicago, breaking Justin Rose’s record as the youngest ever Great Britain and Ireland player in some 80 years.

Fisher, who became the youngest pro to win a card at the European Tour Qualifying School in 2006, is one stroke ahead of South African Justin Walters and South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang, who are both fighting to secure their playing rights for 2020 and avoiding a trip to Q-School next month.

Walters, who famously holed a long putt on the 18th in 2013 to save his card, has sufferred an emotional year after losing his dad.

“It’s hard, but I’m staying in the present,” said Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick. “Hitting the best shot I can and if I don’t pull it off, there’s not much I can do.

“If it works then great, if not it’ll be disappointing. There’s not much more I can do but if by the end of the week I can hold my head up high if I’ve thrown everything I have at it.

“It should be enough, if it’s not we’ll find another place to win a tournament.”

Walters’s compatriots took over the leaderboard during the second round, with seven South Africans sitting inside the top 10.

Brandon Stone holds fourth place on 10-under, while Darren Fichardt and Haydn Porteous share fifth with last year’s runner-up Eddie Pepperell, from Frilford Heath GC.

Stone, who won twice in 2016 and whose last win came in last year’s Scottish Open at Gullane, said: “I’ve been great off the tee all week, and the last few months.

“I felt comfortable with the putter, which has been the missing link for a long time now. I enjoy quick greens and bent greens.

“When we arrived I felt really comfortable. The stroke feels fantastic and I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities – especially early in the round.

“It’s easier when you get birdies to start your round, you give yourself something to fall back on,” added Stone.

“Overall, I’m very happy with where the game is.”

George Coetzee – who had a chance to win in France a week ago, is eighth, while Dean Burmester and first round leader Louis De Jager joined defending champion Tom Lewis, from Hertfordshire’s Welwyn GC, on seven-under in a share of ninth with four others.

The predicted cut-off on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex has moved to 116 after the cut fell at minus one.

•You can follow live scoring in teh third round of the Portugal Masters by clicking here.

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Thirty-two-year-old Louis De Jager fired an excellent 63 to lead the Portugal Masters as the South African bids to keep his European Tour card. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

LOUIS De Jager made a strong start to his quest to keep his European Tour card at the Portugal Masters after an eight-under par first round at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

The South African, who started the week in 123^rd place on the Race to Dubai rankings, went bogey-free in the Algarve with a round of 63.

That left him two strokes ahead of compatriot Justin Walters, Essex’s Oliver Fisher and Australian Jake McLeod.

Thirty-two-year-old De Jager, who has six wins on the Sunshine Tour, said: “I made a few nice putts in the beginning and then really hit it well towards the end and kept the momentum going.

“The greens are very good. They are really fast. I felt comfortable. I left myself in the right spots on the greens, on the right plateaus, which made it much easier.

“There are some tricky putts on those greens, but I kept it easy for myself. I think everyone is more conscious of where they are (on the Race to Dubai Rankings),” said De Jager, who has yet to break his duck in Europe in 75 starts.

“My back is against the wall a little bit, for me I can only go forward,” added De Jager who is in his rookie year having come through the Qualifying School last year, despite having played in European Tour events for the past decade as a member of the Sunshine Tour.

“I’m using that as extra motivation and encouragement – not that you need it, but that did help a little bit,” said Louis.

Fisher, who carded the first 59 in European Tour history at the Vilamoura venue last year, and Walters are also fighting to secure their playing rights for next season.

Fisher, the youngest player to have have appeared in the Walker Cup back in 2005, started the week in 112^th place while Walters, who saved his card with a gutsy final round display at the Victoria Course in 2013, is nine spots further down the European Tour’s Order of Merit.

Fisher, whose only win came in the Czech Masters in 2011, said: “I’m really pleased.

“I played very solid. It was nice to go around and have a lot of chances and feel as though I was in control of what I was doing.

“Last week was a tough week in France. It’s nice to get rid of the clouds which were here on Tuesday and Wednesday,” said the 31-year-old from Chingford, whose biggest win as an amateur came in the 2006 St Andrews Links Trophy.

“We have blue skies and we’re on a course we’re all familiar with and it’s a nice start to the week.”

McLeod must win or finish in solo second to move above the cut-off point, which, as things stand after the first round in Vilamoura, is the top 115 players on the Race to Dubai rankings, who, at the conclusion of the Portugal Masters, will secure their cards for 2020.

Jake McLeod said: “It’s quite wide off the tee, so you can get up there and really give it a rip.

“But it can be quite penalising around the greens if you miss in the wrong spots – they’re running quite fast this week.

“I found myself on a lot of the good sides today – hopefully I can keep doing that. This season has been pretty average, so I’ve come out here and I’ll have a bit of fun and probably go to Q-School unless I get the win.”

Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick, said: “The kind of round I needed, given where I am. I was really calm today – that’s my manta all week.

“I love coming back to Portugal, I love this golf course and love being here. To play well on top of that is a bonus, but it’s required.

“The hardest part about today was not trying too hard – I’ve been doing that regularly this year,” added Walters, who was also among the early leaders at the Alfred Dunhill Links, in Scotland, last month.

“I just stayed in every shot and stayed in the present, it was lovely to do that,” said Walters.

Benign conditions led to a day of low scoring in the Algarve, with 75 of the 126-man field beating par.

•For live scoring in the Portugal Masters, click here.

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South Africa’s Justin Walters has been battling a calf injury and lost his father earlier this year but shot a superb 63 at St Andrews to lead the Alfred Dunhill Links after the first round. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JUSTIN Walters found his form in spectacular style at St Andrews to take a one-shot lead after an emotional first day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The South African has faced plenty of adversity on the golf course during the 2019 Race to Dubai, battling a calf injury over the summer and failing to register a top 20 in 23 starts on the European Tour.

The 38-year-old also sadly lost his father this year but revealed after carding a stunning 63 around the Old Course he felt his presence as he fired his lowest round on the European Tour for six years at the Home of Golf.

Walters said: “I haven’t shot anything under 69 or 68 in a long time. To do it here at St Andrews, and the emotions I’ve been through the last few months, it’s just so special.

“I’ve been swinging really well all-year mostly, from about US Open when I qualified, and I got to the Irish Open and tore my calf really badly.

“Really struggled to get right again for a while, and I finally got over that, and then I lost my dad.

“It was quite hard. I just kind of decided not to feel sorry for myself, really, and kind of dust myself off and coming in here, it has a healing quality,” said Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick.

“I don’t know, it’s hard to describe. I was here with my dad when we lost Mum, and just thought I was back with him.”

His nine-under total handed him a one-shot lead over New Zealander Ryan Fox, Spaniard Adrian Otaegui, Frenchman Victor Perez and Wiltshire’s Jordan Smith.

The famous pro-am event features a star-studded line-up, with many of the world’s best golfers playing alongside celebrities, businessmen and women and family members, over three stunning venues – St Andrews Old Course, Kingsbarns Golf Links and Carnoustie Golf Links.

Fox, Smith and Perez joined Walters at St Andrews, while Otaegui carded his 64 at Kingsbarns.

Fox said: “I played really solid and for the first time in a while I saw some putts go in and hit some great shots coming down the stretch.

“It was just nice to take advantage of those fairly benign conditions out there.

“It’s a cool format to get to play these three golf courses, and they look after us so well this week.

“I love pro-am formats, and I’ve played with Shane Warne the last couple years and we get along really well.

“We’ve had a lot of fun out there, become good friends because of this event.”

Essex’s Matthew Southgate recorded the lowest round of the day at Carnoustie with a 65 to sit at seven-under alongside Cheshire’s Paul Waring, Scot Richie Ramsay, South African Jaco Ahlers, Finn Tapio Pulkkanen and Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan.

Southgate, who seems to save his best for links golf, said he was “chuffed to bits.”

“It’s a dream come true really for me. I’ve waited a long time to go down that last hole with that feeling. A really, really special day for me.

“I fell in love with the game again, which is great. Everybody has ebbs and flows in their career with that.

“The last four weeks has been really good for me and I’ve got stuck into practise like I’m 17 again, which is great and enjoying every minute of it.”

A week after the likes of Paul Casey and Justin Rose spoke about their memories of being inspired by watchign their heroes play in the PGA Championship at Wentworth, local Hero Ramsay, who was the first European to win the US Amateur in a century back in 2006, revealed St Andrews had the same effect for him.

Ramsay, who shot 65 at Kinsbarns, said: “You always look at it and think, if I want to win one tournament, the Scottish Open, the Dunhill are the ones that are right there because I used come down here when I was seven or eight and watch the guys play in the Dunhill Cup.

“It’s cool for me to play in it and just proud that I shot a good number today,” added Ramsey, who was sixth last week at Wentworth.

“I’ll iust try to keep the foot down because there’s so many good players this week. The main goal is to get in the mix on Sunday going into the back nine.

“Old Course St Andrews, back nine on Sunday, those ingredients are just too good. That would be a dream to be there and have a chance to win,” added Ramsay, whose only top five this year came in the Betfred British Masters on Hilside’s Lancashire links, back in May

Frenchman Perez is currently seventh on a list of players with the best strokeaverage on links courses since the beginning of January 2017 – and revealed why he has become so proficient by the sea.

Perez said: “I live in Dundee. My girlfriend goes to dental school here. I’ve lived here for the last year and a half.

“Being around and playing links all the time when I’m not in tournaments definitely makes a big difference.

“It’s just being used to the bounce and used to the greens,” said the 27-year-old who has two wins on the European Challenge Tour.

“I don’t think you can play enough links golf, and it definitely played to my advantage today for sure.”

Lee Westwood made his second hole-in-one of the season and third of his illustrious European Tour career as he holed a six-iron from 189 yards on the eighth at Carnoustie for the 26th hole-in-one of the 20129 Race to Dubai.

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