Colsaerts joined in first in Netherlands

Golf Betting Lines

09/10/2010 - Hilversum, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First-round leader Nicolas Colsaerts only managed an even-par 70 on Friday, but it was enough to share the lead with Shiv Kapur after two rounds of the KLM Open.

Colsaerts and Kapur, who posted a two-under 68 in round two, finished 36 holes at eight-under 132 and are one stroke ahead of three players at Hilversumsche Golf Club.

Former British Open champion Todd Hamilton, who lost his playing status on the PGA Tour this year, carded a three-under 67 and is tied for third place with Christian Nilsson (65) and Jean-Francois Lucquin (67). The trio is knotted at seven-under 133.

PGA Champion Martin Kaymer returned to competitive golf for the first time since his major breakthrough last month and shot his second consecutive three- under 67.

The German headlines a logjam in sixth place at minus-six.

"I am playing well. I just need to the putts to drop," said Kaymer. "The same thing happened in the PGA Championship actually, I didn't make a lot of putts for the first couple of days but I tried to be patient and collect my pars and keep giving myself chances for birdies which I did and then they started to drop over the weekend."

These players, and the whole field, are chasing a pair of winless golfers on the European Tour.

Colsaerts began on the ninth tee Friday and made bogey right away. He got the stroke back with a birdie at 12, but a bogey at the 13th dropped him back to seven-under par for the championship.

Colsaerts missed the green at the par-three 15th, but chipped in for the birdie to get back to even for the round and eight-under for the tournament. He birdied the par-five 18th and made it two in a row around the turn with a birdie.

He was then alone in the lead at 10-under par, but disaster struck at the par- four sixth. Colsaerts lost his ball in the tall grass and walked off with a double-bogey six.

"We had to wait a while on the tee and I didn't have the same rhythm but at the end of the day I just didn't hit a good drive and it went left into the long stuff," said Colsaerts. "But I did well to make a par with the second ball because it is a tough hole so a double with losing a ball was as good as I could do. I could easily have dropped another shot and then you are in trouble."

Colsaerts got one shot back with a birdie at the seventh. He was back in front by himself, but missed the green at eight, chipped to 10 feet and failed to convert his par putt.

That bogey dropped him into a tie with Kapur, who finished his round Friday morning.

Kapur parred his first seven holes in round two then canned a 12-foot birdie putt at the eighth. He birdied the par-five 12th for the second time in as many rounds.

Kapur was eight-under par, but bogeyed the par-three 15th. He clawed back into first with a 25-foot birdie putt at the 17th, another hole he's birdied in both rounds.

"I hit the ball quite well -- I suppose you could always have a couple of shots better," said Kapur. "It would have been nice to birdie the 18th but overall I am happy."

Joost Luiten (69), Jeev Milkha Singh (65), Danny Willett (67), Brett Rumford (65), Daniel Vancsik (66), David Horsey (67) and Ignacio Garrido (67) matched Kaymer at six-under 134.

NOTES: British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen carded a three-under 67 and made the cut on the number at even-par 140...Defending champion Simon Dyson missed the weekend by a stroke...Barry Lane, Anthony Wall, Marcel Siem and Simon Khan all withdrew.