Staff WriterFélix Mory has turned the Dormy Open into his own personal playground once again, carding a six-under-par 65 on Friday to seize a one-shot lead heading into the weekend at Upsala GolfKlubb.
The Frenchman, who lifted the trophy here back in 2021, looked every bit like a man ready for an encore performance. With seven birdies on his card and just a single blemish, Mory reached 14 under par, edging one stroke clear of England’s John Gough.
Starting his day on the 10th tee, the 30-year-old came out like a man who’d had rocket fuel with breakfast, rolling in five birdies on his opening nine to turn in just 31 shots.
A birdie at the fourth pushed him further ahead before his first mistake of the week arrived at the notoriously stubborn par-four eighth. He shrugged it off like brushing lint off a blazer, finishing with a smooth birdie on the ninth to restore his cushion.
“I was happy with my attitude today,” Mory said afterwards. “I started the round with two close chances which I missed but I just kept patient, set up a few more opportunities, and made a few putts.
I’m putting well and driving it pretty straight at the minute. I did everything pretty well today. There was nothing crazy, but everything was good.”
That, in the golf world, is as close to a love letter as you’ll ever hear a man write to his own swing.
The bogey on eight hardly rattled him, particularly since his entire group shared the same fate. “We all made bogeys on eight in my group,” Mory added. “You’re going to make bogeys; it’s part of the game.
It was nice to finish with a birdie on nine but again, you can’t force it. You have to try and hit good shots and if it comes, it comes. You’ve just got to keep trying to hit good shots.”
Mory knows a second Dormy Open victory would do more than pad his trophy cabinet. Already sitting 12th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings after his Swiss Challenge triumph earlier this year, another win would fast-track him toward DP World Tour status. Still, he insists the only leaderboard he’s chasing this weekend is his own.
“It’s coming to the end of the season, so we all know where we stand,” he said. “At the end of the day, what matters is doing our job and trying to get better. I know that if I have a good attitude and try to get better, the rest will take care of itself.
I’m looking forward to having fun this weekend on a great course. There are a lot of fun shots to hit.”
Behind him, Gough sits in solo second at 13 under, while Englishman Jamie Rutherford lurks just two shots back on 12 under. A cosmopolitan chase pack features Australia’s Hayden Hopewell, Danes Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen and Anders Emil Ejlersen, and New Zealand’s Sam Jones, all within striking distance.
Further down the board, England’s Alfie Plant, South Africa’s Bryce Easton, Icelander Magnus Haraldur, Swede Hugo Townsend, American Chase Hanna and Dutchman Vince van Veen are bunched together at nine under par.
The third round of the Dormy Open begins bright and early at 8:00 am on Saturday, with Mory, Gough and Rutherford set to headline the marquee group at 12:00 pm.
If Friday was any indication, Uppsala could be in for another fireworks show.
