After infiltrating his way into the field at Celtic Manor at the very last moment, it is Welshman Liam Bond who has surged to the summit of the leaderboard as the surprise 36-hole leader of the ISPS Handa Wales Open.
It’s a remarkable story for the 43-year-old club professional at St Pierre, who only received the call to participate in the tournament on Wednesday. After shooting 69 on Thursday, the player ranked 1,528th in the world would follow that up with a second round of 68 in a day that saw testing conditions befall the former Ryder Cup venue in Newport.
It’s another chapter in what has been a turbulent career for the man who lives just 10 minutes from the Celtic Manor Resort. In 2010, at the 16th attempt, he successfully qualified for the European Tour through Q-School, after only gaining entry onto the Challenge Tour in 2007. Unfortunately, Bond’s long-awaited rookie season on the main tour was to be a largely unsuccessful one, which saw him fail to retain his playing privileges after finishing 191st on the Race to Dubai.
Bond has only played once on the Challenge Tour this season, and Bond firmly believes that his lack of status is allowing him to play without any pressure.
“I'm playing way better than when I had my card in 2011,” said Bond. “If I was on tour this year I would be loving it but I put myself under a lot of pressure when I was on the tour.”
On Wednesday, while playing a round with his seven-year-old daughter Daisy, Bond received a call from the European Tour asking if he would like to take the last remaining spot in the field of his national championship. That obviously provided no time for preparation, and Bond believes that has actually proven to be a blessing.
“I feel my game is still pretty good and I only found out I was playing on Wednesday afternoon so I didn't have any time to over-prepare like I have done in the past. The pressure is off because I'm not trying to keep my card.”
While the pressure may be different, or non-existent, when compared to many of the other players on the leaderboard, there will surely be additional nerves over the weekend as he has everyone to gain. With this being an unexpected opportunity, he will see everything he earns as being a bonus, but make no mistake, this is a chance to achieve something life-changing.
With scoring moderate throughout Friday, the leaderboard has now become extremely bunched, with 32 players all within five shots of the lead. Closest to Bond is Espen Kofstad, who led after Thursday.
After his stunning opening round of 64, the 26-year-old Norwegian, who was playing alongside European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, would battle round in 74, and it leaves him with a 4-under 36-hole total of 138.
Unlike Bond, at 149 on the Race to Dubai, Kofstad is playing to retain his card for next year, and that does provide significant pressure on the player who led the Challenge Tour’s money list in 2012.
South Africa’s Tjaart Van Der Walt is also at 4-under, with Paul McGinley the most notable name at 3-under.
This week ushers in the yearlong qualification process for the European Ryder Cup team, and Captain McGinley played with the quality of someone attempting to make the side itself.
However, McGinley is very keen on remaining competitive on the Tour over the next year, so he can play alongside potential members of his team, gaining valuable insight into their games and personalities. But this week, it’s all about trying to win the Wales Open for a second time, and the 46-year-old was pleased with how he acquitted himself on the Twenty Ten Course.
“It was a challenge, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “You had to be patient; it was tough and it’s understandable that the scoring is quite moderate.
“I have been playing well for a few months and have not turned it into a result. I could do with a good result.
“I played lovely controlled golf and hopefully the wind blows at the weekend. It’s very bunched as most leaderboards are now on The European Tour. You have got to play well.”
Also playing well were Gregory Bourdy, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Graeme Storm, and talented American Peter Uihlein, who are also at 3-under. A total of just 19 players are under-par after a testing two days, and all of them will have a significant opportunity to claim the lucrative first prize of almost €350,000.
However, after Friday, it is Liam Bond, the last man in the event who will be the last man out tomorrow.