Staff WriterThe Vierumäki Finnish Challenge is shaping up to be a nail-biter, and George Mason has put himself in pole position—though only just.
The 24-year-old Englishman will sleep on a one-shot lead after producing a composed six-under-par 66 on day two at Vierumäki Resort, nudging him to 13-under for the tournament. German Anton Albers lurks ominously in second, just a single swing away.
Mason’s scorecard was a birdwatcher’s dream—eight of the little blighters against just two bogeys. “I played well today, and it was pretty solid,” he said, radiating the kind of understated confidence that suggests he’s quietly pleased.
“Overall I’m very happy and I hit it great off the tee. I tried to play pretty smart and made sure not to short-side myself because these greens are very slopy. I putted nicely too.”
Slopy, indeed. The putting surfaces at Vierumäki have been rolling faster than a Finnish luge team, and Mason knows the margins are fine.
“Around here you have to be good off the tee and hit greens. It’s important to make smart club choices because there’s a lot of run-offs around the greens.”
His opening 65 on Thursday had the air of a soft launch. On Friday, the wind puffed its cheeks and the pin positions grew meaner. “It played a bit tougher today with the wind and some tricky pin positions,” Mason admitted.
“I feel confident in my game but it’s the first time I’ve been in this position so I’m slightly nervous. I’m looking forward to the weekend and hopefully I can handle it well.
I’m just going to try and enjoy it. Anything can happen over the next two days and there are a lot of good players playing so I’m just going to give it my all.”
The chasing pack is suitably menacing. Scotland’s David Law sits in third on 11-under, while Italian Aron Zemmer, American Chase Hanna, Sweden’s Hugo Townsend and overnight leader Alvaro Hernandez Cabezuela are breathing down his neck at 10-under.
Play resumes Saturday at 7:30 am local time, with Mason in the last group alongside Albers and Law at 9:31 am. By then, we’ll know whether Mason can keep steering this ship—or if the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge will claim yet another weekend leader as its latest cautionary tale.
