Golf Events / Editor / 01 June 2007 /

Bradley Dredge's dream of becoming only the second Welshman to win his country's own championship remains very much alive as he moved smoothly into contention at the halfway stage of the Celtic Manor Wales Open.

Dredge, who is bidding to emulate Ian Woosnam this week, shot successive rounds of 69 to close to within two strokes of surprise second-round leader Mads Vibe-Hastrup on six-under-par.

Dane Vibe-Hastrup heads the field after an impressive round of 63 on Friday, one shot clear of Scots Alastair Forsyth and Steven O'Hara and Australian Brett Rumford.
Former US Open champion Michael Campbell, in-form Englishmen Nick Dougherty and Paul Broadhurst, Indonesia Open winner Mikko Ilonen and rising German star Martin Kaymer are on the same mark as Dredge, in a group that includes ten players.

And, with no fewer than 23 players within three strokes of the lead after the halfway cut and many more still close enough to win, the tournament remains wide open.
Following the shock exit of world number ten Retief Goosen and defending champion Robert Karlsson, Dredge is the new favourite and is trading at 7.4 to win.
Campbell is available at 11.5 to end a miserable season so far and claim his first win since the 2005 HSBC World Match Play Championship, two points ahead of Lawrie, while Forsyth can be backed at 19 to win.

Broadhurst has bounced back well after his final-round demise at Wentworth last week and is trading at 18.5 to go one better than last year when he finished runner-up, ahead of Kaymer (22), Richard Sterne (24), Rumford (25) and Vibe-Hastrup (28).

And, with better weather forecast for the weekend and conditions easing, there still remains the distinct possibility that a player could break through the barrier and score a magical 59 for the first time in the history of the European Tour.

Odds of 7.2 are available for someone to shoot the historic score this weekend and the field knows this is likely to be their best chance of the year on the par-69 Roman Road course.

While 63 is the best round after two days this week, Phillip Archer proved it is possible when he missed a short putt on the final hole for the historic mark last year, and anyone starting like Forsyth did on Friday, when he was four-under after four holes, will know they are in with a shout.

Dredge has not been at his best this week but his short game is in impeccable order and there could be plenty more to come from him over the weekend.
The Welshman, who is 1.79 to finish in the first five and 1.3 to place in the top ten, also has the added incentive of knowing that finishing in the top two will book his place at The Open Championship later this summer, and he could be the man to follow.
Campbell has been forced to endure a miserable 2007, missing his last five cuts, but the popular New Zealander has shown some sort of return to form in the first two rounds and is capable of carding a very low score if he is in the mood.

While he is still not at his best, he is finally starting to hole a few putts and it would be no surprise to see him competing for the title on Sunday afternoon.
Campbell can be backed at 2.8 to place in the first five, while he is available at 2.44 to shoot lower than Dredge (1.91) in the stand-out two-ball of the third round.

After blowing a three-shot lead with nine holes to play at last month's Italian Open, Dougherty will be desperate to get the disappointment out of his system as soon as possible.

He is trading at 3 to finish in the top five and similar odds are available about Broadhurst, who is still in confident mood despite his last-day collapse last week.
Ilonen (34 to win his second title of 2007) has moved into contention and could be in the running come Sunday afternoon, while Scot Gary Orr (38 to win) is only two strokes off the lead and likes this tournament after coming joint-seventh in 2006.

Sterne, who finished only one shot adrift last week, is in an eye-catching group on four-under which includes Colin Montgomerie (30 to win) who, perhaps ominously for the rest of the field, was moaning about his putting despite carding a second-round 64.
Two former Wales Open champions, Simon Khan and Paul Lawrie, stand one shot in front of them and can be backed at respective odds of 38 and 50 to repeat their triumphs of 2004 and 2002.

But, despite their lack of form this season and the number of bigger-name players in contention, it would appear a mistake to dismiss the leaders.

Vibe-Hastrup, 2.06 to place in the top ten this week, has never finished in the top three in 122 starts and six years on tour, but is an ex-boys world champion and played well in Ireland a fortnight ago.

O'Hara, 50 to win this week, has missed ten out of 14 cuts this season but looks to be swinging with a better rhythm this week, while Rumford, 2.1 to come in the top ten, has twice won on the European Tour.

The 29-year-old, who shot a second round 66 late on Friday when the greens were at their toughest, clearly likes this time of year after finishing fourth at the BMW PGA Championship last year and could be one to follow.

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