Alfred Dunhill Championship 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

South Africa’s Brandon Stone shot an excellent six-under par round of 66 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship on Friday to take a one-shot lead at the midpoint of the tournament.

Stone is sitting pretty on 11-under par after two rounds, as he’s found scoring opportunities easy to come by at Leopard Creek Country Club. Four-time winner Charl Schwartzel and Chris Hanson are in hot pursuit of the leader, as they trail by a solitary shot.

A fascinating weekend is in store after another absorbing day of golf from Malelane, South Africa. Here’s a look at how things are shaping up after Thursday’s action.

Position	Player	Overall	Day 2 Score
1.	Bradon Stone	-11	66
T2.	Charl Schwartzel	-10	68
T2.	Chris Hanson	-10	65
T4.	George Coetzee	-9	65
T4.	Keith Horne	-9	66
T6.	Jean Hugo	-8	69
T6.	Benjamin Hebert	-8	66
T6.	Alexander Bjork	-8	69
T6.	Thomas Aiken	-8	67
T6.	Branden Grace	-8	67

For the full leaderboard visit the European Tour website.

Stone Rolls into Top Spot

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

As far as starts to a tournament go, this one has been particularly impressive from Stone—although his rounds so far haven’t been completely free of blemishes.

Indeed, the world No. 107 had two dropped shots on his card on Friday. Thankfully for him, some excellent scoring on the other 16 holes more than made amends, as he surged to a splendid 66.

Back-to-back birdies on the opening two holes kickstarted his round in style, and although he bogeyed the fourth for the second day in succession, it didn’t stop Stone continuing his march up the leaderboard; birdies at six, 10, 12 and 15 offset another bogey on 13.

The 18th was the coupe de grace on an excellent day for the home player, as he held his nerve to pick up an eagle, per the European Tour Twitter feed:

There can be no complacency from the leader, though, as he’s being pursued by some excellent players, including Schwartzel.

Not only is the former Masters champion the highest ranked player in the field, he’s excelled at this venue in the past, winning the tournament on four occasions, including last year's edition. Schwartzel was left to rue a disappointing double bogey at the seventh, although that errant approach aside, he’s looked in fine fettle again.

“Overall I think I played well,” he said after Day 2, per the European Tour website. “I gave myself a fair amount of chances and made some nice bonus putts. The stroke’s feeling good, which makes me very comfortable.”

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Schwartzel isn’t the only man within touching distance of Stone, though. The joint-lowest round of the day actually came from Hanson, who made eight birdies and a bogey on his way to a brilliant 65. The Englishman is well placed to push for what would be his maiden victory on the European Tour.

To the delight of the home supporters, the upper echelons of the leaderboard is packed with South African flags. One of the home players is George Coetzee, who matched Hanson’s 65; after some inconsistencies over his first nine holes, the 30-year-old came home in a scintillating 29.

Here is a listen to his assessment of Round 2, per the Sunshine Tour Twitter feed:

Stone knows what is required to get over the line in these marquee events and will be buoyed having won the South Africa Open earlier in the year. For a 23-year-old, he’s showcased a tremendous amount of composure.

Over the weekend, Schwartzel is undoubtedly the man to watch, as he loves this course and continues to score heavily. Provided he’s in contention come Sunday, it’ll take a special performance from another player to best the reigning champion.