Ashley Chesters eyes a big push for Masters glory

The Hawkstone Park ace built on his first round four under par by going one shot better at Close House Golf Club yesterday to leave himself on nine under, two shots behind leader Renato Paratore.

Chesters will tee-off today with designs on keeping himself in the hunt for a first European Tour success.

He made a superb start yesterday with birdies at the first, third and fifth holes. Further birdies followed at the 10th, 16th and 17th and not even a bogey at the last – his first dropped shot in two days – could take the gloss off a fine performance from the 30-year-old.

And Chesters put his retrun to form down to being able to fine-tune his game during an enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I am very pleased,” said Chesters, who won back-to-back European Amateur Championships before turning professional.

“I wasn’t playing particularly well before we stopped after Qatar.

“The time off gave me a little bit of time to sort a few things out, which I needed to do.

“Because we are playing all the time you don’t get a lot of chance to do it because you just keep on playing.

“I had got myself into a bit of a mess with the way I was playing.

“I was just playing with what I had got and gradually the swing had got a bit hairy, shall we say, and I tried to sort that out. I have hit it quite nicely the first couple of days, there were still a few iffy ones in there but hopefully they are getting less and less.”

Italy’s Paratore shot a 66 to lead by one stroke from England’s Dale Whitnell and South African Justin Harding.

Former courier Whitnell fired an eagle and five birdies in a flawless 64.

The 31-year-old played on the 2009 Walker Cup team alongside Tommy Fleetwood but struggled to establish himself in the professional ranks and was forced to take on a courier job for 10 months to make ends meet.

Harding recorded a brilliant 63, the lowest round of the week so far, to sit alongside Whitnell on 10 under.

Former Shropshire junior Aaron Rai safely made the cut after carding a one under par round of 70 to move to three under overall.

Rai had an up and down day that saw him land five birdies and four bogeys.

Another ex-Shropshire junior, Oliver Farr, is heading home after missing the cut. Welshman Farr shot a 72, an improvement on his opening day 74, but it wasn’t enough to extend his stay.

Tournament host and club member Lee Westwood was in danger of making an early exit after a double bogey on the first, but the 47-year-old fought back to shoot 71 and make the cut on the mark of one under.