Madeira Open: McEvoy moves into joint lead

Former Walker Cup star Richard McEvoy today moved into a share of the lead in the Madeira Island Open.

Thick cloud delayed the start of the second round at Santo da Serra this morning, play beginning an hour late at 9.30am.

Welshman Kyron Sullivan and New Zealand’s Stephen Scahill shared the lead after the first round, both carding eight-under-par 64s in perfect conditions on Thursday.

Sullivan was among the early starters and opened with a regulation par on the first, pitching to 12 feet and missing the birdie attempt.

He was quickly joined at the top of the leaderboard by McEvoy, who carded a birdie on the short par-four 10th, his opening hole.

McEvoy was a member of the victorious 2001 Walker Cup team which retained the trophy on American soil for the first time, a team which included the likes of Luke Donald, Nick Dougherty and Graeme McDowell.

He then won the European Tour qualifying school in November 2003 and carded a superb 62 to lead after the opening round of his first event of the season in Hong Kong before finishing 15th.

That proved to be his best finish of the season however and after failing to regain his card at the qualifying school in November, is competing on the second-tier Challenge Tour in 2005.

But the 25-year-old already looks on target to be back on the main tour next year, winning in Panama in the second event of the new season and recording two fourth places in his last two events.

With the cloud lifting conditions were again excellent with barely a breath of wind, and Jean van de Velde was also among the birdies.

Making his fourth comeback from a serious knee injury, van de Velde birdied the par-five 11th to improve to five under par, three off the lead.