Tom McKibbin produced a stunning second-round 64 to move into joint third place at the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa.
After an opening 67 at Glendower GC, Friday's round shot the County Down golfer up to 13-under-par, but he was still unable to overtake Italy’s Matteo Manassero who threatened to break the 60 mark before having to settle for an 11-under-par 61 to sit atop the leaderboard on 15-under-par.
McKibbin, who began on the 10th and is level with Spain's Ángel Hidalgo, chalked up five birdies on his first nine holes to turn at 10 under par, enough to push him into the lead with Oliver Bekker of South Africa.
While Bekker struggled at the midway point of his round, recording bogeys at the first and third having also started on the back nine, McKibbin continued to move in the right direction with a birdie at the third being supplemented by an eagle on the par-five sixth. Bekker steadied the ship however and a closing birdie saw him move to 14 under and outright second.
McKibbin is in a share of third with Spanish pair Angel Hidalgo and Ivan Cantero.
Career low round 👏
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 8, 2024
Matteo Manassero vaults to the top of the leaderboard with a stunning 61. #JonssonWorkwearOpen pic.twitter.com/sFTAM4YYSY
The story of the round belonged to four-time DP World Tour winner Manassero though, who needed a birdie-birdie finish to become the second player to break 60 on the DP Tour after Oliver Fisher [59] at the 2018 Portugal Masters.
The player, who in 2010 at 16 years, 11 months and 22 days became the youngest player to ever make the cut at the Masters – a record since taken by then 14-year-old Guan Tianlang - was out in a scintillating 28 have carded a pair of eagles and four birdies on the back nine.
His inward nine, starting on the first, was slower paced, but three birdies and no dropped shots ensured a round to remember even if he ended with a pair of pars.
South African Oliver Bekker was Manassero's nearest challenger, a shot clear of a group containing Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin, who signed for a 64.
