Dredge in hunt for maiden win

BRADLEY DREDGE insisted he is ready to end his hunt for a maiden tour victory after holding on to his overnight lead at the Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Welshman added a second-round 68 to his opening 65 at Houghton, for an 11-under-par halfway total of 133 and one-shot lead over English duo Richard Bland and Mark Roe.

Denmark’s Anders Hansen, the 2002 Volvo PGA champion, was a shot further back after a 65 alongside South Africa’s Richard Sterne, who carded a 67.

Defending champion Justin Rose gave himself a fighting chance of retaining the first of the four titles he won last year with a second-round 67.

Rose could only manage a 73 yesterday but hit back with seven birdies today before a double bogey on his penultimate hole, where he found water off the tee, halted his charge. At four under, he was seven shots off the lead.

Rose’s World Cup partner Paul Casey was seven over for the day after 15 holes but finished birdie-par-eagle to make the cut on the mark at one under.

Dredge finished 18th on the Order of Merit last season but is still seeking his first win on the European Tour after being narrowly beaten to the season-ending Volvo Masters in Valderrama by Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer, who shared the title after darkness brought an end to their play-off.

“I’m definitely ready to win,” said the 29-year-old Welshman, who is seeking a good performance here in order to climb back into the top 64 in the world rankings and qualify for the World Matchplay in California next month.

“I’ve had enough near misses now so I won’t be trying to finish second.

“I learned a lot from playing with Monty in the final group in Valderrama. It’s good to see how he handles himself on the golf course, his demeanour and how he goes about things. He was very courteous and polite but nothing more than that.