Khan out in front in Wales

England’s Simon Khan had to ’settle’ for a course record 61 after threatening to shoot the first ever sub-60 round on the European Tour in the Celtic Manor Wales Open.

Khan carded an amazing seven birdies and an eagle in his first nine holes of today’s second round to storm to the top of the leaderboard.

His front nine of 27 equalled the record for the lowest nine holes in tour history and left him needing just four more to card a magical 59.

But he could only pick up two more birdies in an inward half of 34 to break the course record of 63 set by Jarrod Moseley last year by two shots.

It gave the 31-year-old a 14 under par halfway total of 130, and currently a four-shot lead over Paul Casey, who was seven under for the day after 16 holes.

Overnight leader David Howell was a shot further back after 14 holes alongside Colin Montgomerie who was nine under after 13.

Khan was handed a one-shot penalty for slow play in last week’s PGA Championship at Wentworth but there was nothing sluggish about his start at Wentwood Hills this morning.

Starting the day four off the lead after an opening 69, that deficit was wiped out when he birdied the first four holes, and he jumped into the lead with an eagle three on the fifth.

Another birdie came on the sixth before his only par of the day so far on the seventh was followed by two more birdies on the eighth and ninth, making him only the third player after Jose Maria Canizares and Joakim Haeggman to complete nine holes in nine under.

He picked up another shot on the 621-yard par five 11th but had to hole from five feet to save par on the next and then crucially missed from eight feet for birdie on the 13th.

A birdie from six feet on the 17th meant he needed to eagle the last to break the 60 barrier but a drive into the left rough meant he could not reach the green in two, and he then missed from 10ft for birdie.