Dredge aims to live up to favourite tag

Wales’ Bradley Dredge was today hoping to justify his tag as pre-tournament favourite and move a step closer to a first European Tour title in the Madeira Island Open.

Dredge shared the clubhouse lead on three under par overnight, alongside England’s Andrew Marshall and Swede Henrik Stenson in the delayed second round at Santo da Serra.

That was two shots off the pace being set out on the course by Spain’s Jesus Maria Arruti and England’s Andrew Sherborne. Arruti had played 12 holes of his second round and Sherborne six.

Dredge, 72nd in the world rankings, is the only member of the top 100 competing in Madeira and found himself in the unusual position of outright favourite at the start of the week.

“It’s the first time that’s happened, apart from my local pro-am!” admitted the 29-year-old from Cardiff.

“But whether you start out at 150/1 or 8/1 the competition is always good and I have to go out and shoot the scores.

“It is up to me to go out and post the numbers and hopefully I’ll come out on top after the four rounds.”

Dredge has twice finished runner-up on the European Tour and also recorded nine other top-10 finishes last season as he finished 18th on the Order of Merit.

But the former Walker Cup player is keen to end his search for a first tour victory after coming close to claiming the prestigious Volvo Masters title - eventually shared by Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer – at the end of last year.

“It has been a bit frustrating to be honest,” Dredge added. “I’ve been trying to win for years. I’m pleased with the way my game is improving and the results are consistent, but I want to win.

“Finishing second or third is nice but I want to win. When I did get into position last year I played a bit average in the last round. You need to keep playing well and a 67 is the kind of last-round score you need to win.

“Leading going into the final round of the Volvo Masters, playing with Monty for the first time - there were a lot of firsts for me and new experiences.

“It was a tough last day but it gave me a lot of confidence. I feel I can play the game and shoot the scores.”