Andy DevaneyThe Nexo Championship leaderboard has a new name at the top, and Matthew Southgate earned his place there the old-fashioned way: by refusing to let a difficult Friday become theatrical.
A two-under 70 at Trump International Golf Links moved the Englishman to four under after 36 holes, one clear of a crowded chasing group heading into the weekend.
Southgate’s eagle changes the shape of Friday
Southgate began the second round three shots off the pace and started from the tenth. For much of the day, his card was an exercise in restraint.
He covered his first seven holes in level par before making birdie at the par-four 17th, then followed with six more pars after the turn.
The only dropped shot came at the sixth. On a day when the wind was making perfectly respectable golf look faintly suspicious, that might easily have started a slide.
Instead, Southgate chipped in for eagle at the next.
That was the swing. One hole after giving a shot away, he took two back in a single stroke and jumped into the outright lead. Links golf rarely sends a formal invitation before rearranging the leaderboard.
At four under, Southgate will begin the weekend one ahead of Matthew Jordan, Shaun Norris, Scott Jamieson and Marcus Kinhult.
Jordan’s flying start meets sterner resistance
If Southgate built his round patiently, Jordan chose the opposite opening. The 30-year-old made three birdies and an eagle across his first four holes, a burst that briefly made Trump International look rather more accommodating than it was.
The rest of the round restored order.
Jordan added two further birdies but also made three bogeys, signing for a 69 and a share of second place. Having finished runner-up in Denmark last week, he reaches the weekend with form, position and a healthy respect for the conditions.
His description of the challenge was revealing. This was not merely a matter of keeping drives in play or controlling iron shots. Gusts could interfere with short putts and decision-making just as readily.
“I know that the weather, I think, is going to be probably a bit more favourable wind-wise over the next couple of days. So, certainly, I think the scoring will be a bit better, but yeah, as you will hear all the time, nothing changes, and that boring answer of just doing the same thing will just still apply. Hopefully I can get off to a start like I did today.”
That final ambition may be asking rather a lot. Three birdies and an eagle in four holes is not usually a repeatable administrative procedure.
Norris plots his way into contention
Norris produced the best score among the morning groups, matching Jordan’s 69 with five birdies and two bogeys.
His emphasis afterwards was on planning rather than aggression, which felt appropriate for a day when cold conditions and unpredictable wind reduced the value of uncomplicated power.
“I think it’s the way that you’ve got to plan your way around the golf course (in Scotland). You got to manufacture shots. For me, it’s just a big game for chess.”
The phrasing is unconventional; the diagnosis is sound. Trump International was asking players to shape shots, show patience and make decisions with the next problem already in mind. Norris handled that examination well enough to reach three under and remain within one of Southgate.
Kinhult slips as Jamieson keeps home challenge alive
First-round leader Marcus Kinhult could not reproduce his opening-day progress, posting a 74 to fall into the group at three under.
Scott Jamieson, carrying the Scottish interest near the top of the board, carded a 71 and will also begin the weekend only one behind.
That leaves the leading five compressed within a single stroke: Southgate on four under, with Jordan, Norris, Jamieson and Kinhult on three under.
It is less a cushion than a polite head start.
Another shot back sits a six-player group at two under, including English amateur Eliot Baker alongside Quim Vidal, Benjamin Follett-Smith, Keita Nakajima, Jacob Skov Olesen and Matteo Manassero.
A difficult course leaves plenty of room for movement
There were cleaner scorecards elsewhere. Connor Syme and Martin Laird were the only players to negotiate Friday without a bogey, while Shubhankar Sharma supplied the day’s neatest entry on any card with a hole-in-one at the sixth.
Jordan expects the wind to be more favourable over the remaining two rounds. Should that translate into lower scoring, Southgate’s one-shot advantage could disappear quickly.
Friday nevertheless offered a useful clue about the sort of golf likely to prosper around Trump International. Attacking every opportunity is not compulsory. Knowing which flags, gusts and temptations are best ignored may prove rather more valuable.
Southgate judged that equation better than anyone in the second round.
His reward is the smallest possible lead — and the most conspicuous possible place on the board.
