Portugal Masters 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Andy Sullivan and Marc Warren are the joint leaders of the Portugal Masters at the halfway point, having amassed impressive overall scores of 14 under par. 

On a day of low scoring at the Victoria Clube de Golfe in Vilamoura, Sullivan posted a stunning 10-under round of 61 to move level with Warren, who had earlier made a 65 to pair with his opening 63. The duo lead by one shot over Padraig Harrington and Jens Fahrbring, who are 13 under for the tournament.

Sullivan wasn’t the only man to post such a low score either, with Scotland’s Richie Ramsay matching the remarkable effort.

Here’s the leaderboard after Friday’s action and a closer examination of how things panned out in Portugal on Day 2.

Position	Player	Overall	Day 2 Score
T1.	Marc Warren	-14	65
T1.	Andy Sullivan	-14	61
T3.	Jens Fahrbring	-13	64
T3.	Padraig Harrington	-13	63
5.	David Lipsky	-12	66
T6.	Raphael Jacquelin	-11	65
T6.	Paul Waring	-11	64
T6.	Mikko Korhonen	-11	67
T6.	Edouard Espana	-11	66

For the full leaderboard visit the European Tour website.

Sullivan Surges to Share of Lead

For large parts of the day, the midpoint total amassed by Warren looked as though it was going to be unchallenged.

The Scotsman led the way after Day 1 following an excellent eight-under round and backed that up brilliantly on Day 2. Once again, there was just one bogey on Warren’s card, while seven birdies put him a long way clear of the chasing pack for much of the day.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Paul Lawrie, well-placed himself with 10-under for the tournament, paid tribute to the efforts of his compatriot over the first couple of days:

One man did go after that mark in spectacular fashion, though. Sullivan, the 2015 winner of this event, enjoyed a solid opening day, making four birdies to post 67. On Day 2, he had matched that total through the front nine before kicking on brilliantly on the run for home.

Sullivan made another six birdies on the back nine to come home in 30, giving himself an excellent chance of taking the title again in Portugal. As we can see here courtesy of the European Tour Twitter feed, the Englishman seems to relish this tournament:

This clip was indicative of the control Sullivan showed throughout his round on Friday:

Sullivan actually said at one point he was thinking about a possible record-breaking round. “I had thoughts of 59 coming down the stretch there, but it wasn't to be,” he said, per the European Tour website. “It's fantastic being on top of the leaderboard and giving myself a chance going into the weekend.”

FRANCISCO LEONG/Getty Images

Meanwhile, some quality players are in pursuit of the leading duo, with Harrington showing some of the form that fired him to three major titles. This putt was the highlight of his brilliant 63:

While he’s a little further down the leaderboard, Ramsay also enjoyed a day to remember, matching Sullivan’s stunning 61.

The Scot’s finish to the round was a sight to behold, as he picked up shots at five successive holes and posted a second-half score of just 29. Had he not bogeyed the 16th, he would have been well in the hunt as well. Nevertheless, he seemed delighted with his day, posting the following on his Twitter account:

The field is full of big names in Portugal, so expect plenty of movement on the leaderboard over the course of the weekend. Alex Noren, the world No. 18, is the highest-ranked player in the field and is just six shots back on eight under. Meanwhile, Europe’s Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters has a lot of work to do to challenge, as he’s 10 shots off the lead.

However, there’s a sense that Sullivan is going to be the man to beat once again at the Portugal Masters, given his immaculate form around this course.