Richie Ramsay in excellent form with Scots trio well placed

'Leading is a new experience for me' says Ashley Chesters. Picture: Getty.'Leading is a new experience for me' says Ashley Chesters. Picture: Getty.
'Leading is a new experience for me' says Ashley Chesters. Picture: Getty.
On-form Richie Ramsay is close to the clubhouse lead along with fellow Scots Stephen Gallacher and Craig Lee in the weather-affected Porsche European Open in Hamburg.

The trio trail Englishman Ashley Chesters by just three shots after Ramsay carded a 68 and Gallacher and Lee both signed for 70s on a rain-hit day at Green Eagle Golf Course to sit on six-under.

Ramsay, who bagged five birdies, is producing some of the best golf of his career, having won around £600,000 in less than three weeks. The Aberdonian sparked his good run by tying for second in the Irish Open, then finished as the leading home player in the Scottish Open before claiming a share of 22nd behind Jordan Spieth in last week’s Open Championship.

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Gallacher, who’d finished birdie-eagle in the opening round, was out in three-under 31 before taking a bit of gloss off his second-day effort with a closing 6 following a delay due to a waterlogged course following a second heavy downpour of the day.

Lee, who has been playing mainly on the Challenge Tour this season, signed for three birdies in his second round as the Stirling player bids to make the most of a chance to try and regain the European Tour card he lost at the end of last season.

Chesters turned pro after helping Great Britain & Ireland to a record Walker Cup victory at Royal Lytham in 2015, where he won three-and-a-half points from his four matches.

The world No 446 gained his European Tour card via the qualifying school in 2016 and has missed seven cuts in 14 events this season, with a best finish of joint eighth in the Hassan Trophy.

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“[Leading] is a completely new experience so tomorrow is going to be totally new to me,” said the 27-year-old, who, on nine-under-par, sits a shot ahead of Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman, with another Englishman, Jordan Smith a shot further back. “The whole year has been a learning experience really so hopefully I’ll learn something again tomorrow, whatever happens.”