England’s Matt Fitzpatrick continued his bogey-free start at the FedEx Open de France to charge into the halfway lead at Le Golf National.
Fitzpatrick followed Thursday’s blemish-free 65 by carding an eagle and five birdies in a seven-under 64 on Friday afternoon, lifting him to 13 under and one ahead of Jeff Winther.
Both Fitzpatrick and Winther equalled the lowest round of the day to ensure they would be part of the final group on Saturday, while overnight leader Michael Kim – the defending champion – is two behind after a three-under 68.
Fellow American Ryan Gerard sits three back in tied-fifth alongside Tom Vaillant, while Germany’s Marcel Siem fired a second-round 64 to join Thriston Lawrence and Angel Hidalgo within four of the lead.
Viktor Hovland is six strokes back and Tommy Fleetwood is a further shot behind, while France’s Victor Perez looks set to miss the cut despite a hole-in-one at the par-three 11th during his second-round 71.
How Fitzpatrick moved ahead in France
Playing alongside Ryder Cup team-mates Hovland and Ludvig Åberg, Fitzpatrick built on his strong opening day by taking advantage of the par-five third and adding another close-range birdie at the next.
Fitzpatrick missed a good opportunity at the fifth but converted one from six feet at the par-four sixth, before birdieing the par-five ninth to move to 10 under and reach the turn in 32.
He missed a close-range birdie chance at the 10th but jumped alongside clubhouse leader Winther by rolling in from 15 feet to eagle the par-five 14th, then holed from 25 feet at the 16th to reclaim the outright advantage.
Fitzpatrick narrowly avoided the hazard after slipping during his approach shot into the par-four last, only to produce a sensational up and down from the fairway to remain one ahead of Winther.
Winther posted four birdies in a five-hole stretch on his way to a bogey-free 64
“I played really solid again and felt comfortable with my game,” said Fitzpatrick, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour already this year. “The last few holes were a bit of a grind, but happy to be in the clubhouse.”
Winther carded seven birdies in his bogey-free day, while Kim was alongside him on 12 under until taking two attempts out of a greenside bunker on his way to a final-hole bogey.
“It wasn’t perfect golf like yesterday, but I felt like I made a good fight out of it and overall I’m happy with where I’m at,” Kim said. “I didn’t get off to the best start and the swing didn’t feel as good as yesterday. A little unfortunate bogey coming in, but I think I have a good chance to win this tournament for the weekend.”
Eugenio Chacarra – entering the week third in the Race to Dubai standings – is on four under after rounds of 70 and 68, as Perez missed the cut on two under after triple-bogeying his final hole.
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