England 21-year old rookie pro Jimmy Mullen maintains his lead after the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews.
Mullen, competing in his first European Tour event as a professional and revealing his father is Scottish-born but he prefers to represent England, shot an impressive 69 on the Old Course, though he was joined on 11-under-par, late in the day, by fellow Englishman Anthony Wall.
One shot further back at 10-under and sharing third place is another brilliant young prospect, Ireland’s Paul Dunne and tied with 2014 Ryder Cup winning hero Jamie Donaldson, Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and visiting American Chris Stroud.
England rookie pro Jimmy Mullen shares the lead after two rounds of the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Mullen, who won all four of his matches during Great Britain and Ireland’s Walker Cup victory over the United States, said: “I watched these players when I was a junior, and then you realise you are playing against them now. That’s the hardest part. I’m still a bit like ‘there’s Kaymer’ and other people like him.
“I’m just trying to let them do what they do and concentrate on what I do. I think I managed to stick to that quite well over the first two rounds. I got a little bit twitchy and tried lagging a few putts up on the back nine, but I’m happy with my day’s work.
“It’s unbelievable, really, in my first event as a pro. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself. We’re only halfway, but let’s see what we can do over the next couple days.”
Wall, who had four birdies on the front nine at St Andrews, his back nine having started at the 10th, in his 68, is looking forward to playing Carnoustie in the third round. “I love Carnoustie. I think it’s one of the best links ever made, if not the best. I’ve always played well around there and I look forward to another good day.”
Mullen’s superb performance has also lifted him and his amateur partner Miguel Duenas into third place in the Team Championship on 18-under, one shot behind leaders Rafael Cabrera Bello & Dermot Desmond and Jared Harvey & Michael Zamkow.
The tournament, conceived as a celebration of links golf, is played over three of the world’s best known and respected links courses – the Old Course at St Andrews, the Championship Course at Carnoustie and the highly regarded Kingsbarns Golf Links.
With a prize fund of US$5 million, the championship incorporates two separate competitions – an individual professional tournament for the world’s leading golfers and a team event in which the professionals are paired with some of the most celebrated amateur golfers which creates a unique atmosphere.
Among the celebrity amateurs playing are film stars Andy Garcia and Hugh Grant, rock legends Don Felder, Ronan Keating and Huey Lewis and many great sporting idols including Sir Ian Botham and Sir Steve Redgrave, who have both played in all 15 Alfred Dunhill Links Championships, cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Shane Warne, Irish rugby star Brian O’Driscoll, record-breaking jump jockey A.P.McCoy, star international footballers Michael Ballack, Johan Cruyff, Alessandro del Piero, Ruud Gullit and Andriy Shevchenko, and popular Wimbledon hero Tim Henman.
