Fritz outlasted Tiafoe in the semi-finals to take a big step towards ending his country's 21-year wait for a men's Grand Slam champion
American Peter Uihlein shot one of the rounds of his life, a course record 10-under-par 61, to surge into the lead at the halfway stage of the 72-hole $2 million International Series England.
The event is being played at Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey on the Asian Tour.
Uihlein's stunning round, comprising an eagle, nine birdies and one bogey, has put him in a strong position heading into the final two rounds. It was remarkably 10 shots better than his first round and saw him move to 10-under.
The LIV Golf star leads by one shot from Belgium’s Thomas Pieters, his RangeGoats GC team-mate on the LIV Golf League and joint-first round leader, and surprise package Robert Dinwiddie from England.
Pieters returned a 69, and Dinwiddie, one of six players who made it through the 18-hole qualifier for this event, carded a 66 on the Longcross course.
American Caleb Surratt is one shot back after also carding a 66, with England’s Richard Bland a stroke further behind, following a 69, along with Karandeep Kochhar from India, who shot a 67.
Pieters’ most recent victory was at the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Abu Dhabi. He came close to a seventh DP World Tour victory earlier this season when he tied for second at the Soudal Open.
American John Catlin, currently leading the Asian Tour merit list and International Series Rankings, returned a 72 and is two under for the tournament.
Jeev Milkha Singh, a 52-year-old Dubai Golden Visa awardee, gave an impressive performance in the second round, carding a 68 to complement his opening round of 69. This brought him to five-under-par, placing him in a tie for ninth.
Singh's round featured six birdies and three bogeys. He demonstrated consistent accuracy, hitting nine of 14 fairways and reaching 14 greens in regulation on the challenging, tree-lined course.
“The windy conditions for today suited me,” said the veteran golfer from India. “I like the set-up this week and feel good for the weekend.
“I will try to give the young boys the run for their money. I need to continue with my good ball striking and hope the putter behaves itself for the last 36 holes.”
Dubai-based Anirban Lahiri made the cut, carding rounds of 72 and 70. Among the 73 players who advanced, Lahiri secured his place right on the cut line at level par 72.
However, Dubai-born 24-year-old Rayhan Thomas was not so lucky as he
missed his first professional cut after posting rounds of 73 and 70. Fellow Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar also failed to make it to the weekend.
Leading Second Round Scores
(6,664 Yards, Par 71).
Uihlein (US) 71. 61. 132.
Pieters (Bel) 64. 69. 133.
Dinwiddie (Eng) 67. 66. 133.
C. Surratt (US) 68. 66. 134.
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