Fox in the hunt as Li Haotong stays ahead in Munich

Li Haotong. DP World Tour

By Matt Smith
Li Haotong took a one-stroke lead into the weekend at the BMW International Open after carding a second-round 67 at Golfclub München Eichenried.

Seeking his first DP World Tour win since the 2018 Dubai Desert Classic, Li, from China, followed up Thursday’s course-record equalling 10-under par round with a five under 67 for a 15-under total.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, already a winner this season at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, is bogey-free through 36 holes in the Bavarian state capital as he carded an eagle and six birdies, with his last gain of the day coming on the 18th hole to move to within a stroke of Li.

Daan Huizing is two strokes further back on 12-under par after a three-under round of 69, following on from a first-round 63. In a share of fourth are 2016 Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters and Englishman Jordan Smith, who is seeking a second DP World Tour win on German soil, on 11-under, while Maximilian Kieffer leads the home charge in solo sixth on 10-under par.

“I’m feeling great,” said Li. “I think I’ve only missed two cuts this year. It’s been working, especially off the tee, I’ve improved a lot and it’s back to where I was. I just need to keep grinding, keep improving and showing up.

“I was feeling the pressure on the last few holes. Hopefully I can just play my golf and keep calm.

“To be honest, I didn’t drive the ball as well as yesterday. My short game was okay. It depends when you get in the rough, the lie could be really bad, or it could be good. Sometimes you just need luck.”

RAK champ Fox: “I’m really happy. I did everything right the last couple of days and my short game has been really tidy — that’s been a big positive. I don’t think I’ve ever gone bogey-free for 36 holes. I’m happy and in with a chance over the weekend again.

“(Li’s score) proved there was a low number out there. We had a really nice group, I really enjoyed playing with Billy and Tom. We got it going for a while and fed off each other. It’s nice to be up there and shoot a decent score today and be there or thereabouts for tomorrow.

“I had a couple of really good shots just before the rain delay and I was really disappointed we stopped. Obviously we had no choice, it was pretty dark out there. It was a little scratchy the first couple of holes coming back, but I made a nice birdie on 11 and then a 35-footer on 14, then hit some good shots coming home after that. It took a little more to get the rhythm back, but I was happy that the half-scratchy shots I hit were still not that bad. That’s what golf’s about right? It’s not how good your good is, it’s how good your bad is, and my bad has been pretty good the last couple of days.”

Huizing added: “It was definitely not as smooth as yesterday but you can’t expect to shoot nine-under every day. I’m happy I got it to three-under with the way I played, it’s a good score. There’s definitely a couple of things to clean up, but that’s OK. We’re in a great position and that’s where I want to be.”