SHENZHEN // France's Alexander Levy fired a 10-under-par 62 at the Volvo China Open on Friday, while US PGA champion Jason Dufner barely survived a 36-hole cut that heralded Chinese teenager Guan Tianlang missed by three shots.
Levy’s round, which included eight birdies and an eagle, was the best of his short career and set a course record at the par-72 Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen.
Levy, 23, is playing his second year on the European Tour and leads by four shots over Spain’s Adrian Otaegui going into today’s third round of the US$3.2 million (Dh11.7m) event.
Levy attributed the recent success of compatriot Victor Dubuisson as the inspiration for the best round of his professional career. “Victor’s performances over the last few months are helping all the French players and inspiring them to try to do the same,” he said of the winner of November’s Turkish Airlines Open.
Dubuisson, 24, started last year at 134th in the world rankings but is now 23rd.
“What he has done over the past few months has been amazing and it has really had an effect on all the French players, so hopefully I can try to emulate that,” said the No 282 ranked Levy, whose best European Tour finish was third in the BMW International Open in Germany last year.
Otaegui shot 66 to sit alone in second place, one shot clear of Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, with France’s Raphael Jacquelin in fourth on eight-under par.
American Dufner made the halfway cut by one shot and needs a big effort over the final 36 holes if he is to threaten the leader board.
Guan was 14 when he became the youngest player to make the cut at a major, at the Masters last year, but he left the course yesterday after shooting a 76.
At the Asian Tour’s Indonesian Masters in Jakarta, Taiwan’s Lin Wen-tang fired an 8-under-par 64 to take the second round lead.
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