Thornton turns on the style

GOLF seems to be simple for Simon Thornton as he has put together back-to-back rounds of 66 to take the halfway lead in the 101st PGA Irish Region Championship, at Seapoint.

The Team Ireland player from Newcastle leads by three strokes from Des Smyth as 56 players made the cut on five-over — 149 and better.

It has been magical golf from the Huddersfield-born Thornton who has played 36 holes without ever dropping a shot as, yesterday, he matched his opening round six-birdie blitz but, this time, hit two on the front nine and four on the way home.

“After the ninth hole today, I set myself a target of five under but I bettered that by a shot,” he revealed. “I have bettered my 11-under for two rounds at City of Derry. I won’t be forcing it in the last two rounds — just keeping the golf simple.”

Despite driving into sand off the seventh tee, the leader conjured up birdie three when his sand wedge approach from 79 yards spun back into the cup and he chipped and putted for another birdie at the long eighth hole to turn in 34 blows.

Another birdie four was carved out with a drive and rescue to the 10th green; he holed from six feet for a three at 14 and then steered an eight iron to three feet for a two at 15 before finishing with a four at the long 18th where he hit the green with a drive and three wood.

Des Smyth is aiming for his seventh Irish champion win and also to maintain his record of taking the title in every decade since the 70s. “It would be fantastic to keep the record going,” he enthused.

The Seniors’ Tour player again displayed some great touches on the greens to add a 68 to his opening 67. He got down from 20 feet at the first and from 15 feet at the sixth for birdies before his only lapse of the day, a three stab for bogey at the short ninth.

Smyth finished with a hat-trick of birdies as he glued his second approach to the flag at 16, rolled in a 12-footer for a two at 17 and holed from 15 feet for birdie at the last.