Larrazabal fires 62 to take KLM Open lead

Zandvoort, The Netherlands (SportsNetwork.com) - Pablo Larrazabal fired an 8- under 62 on Friday and jumped into the lead after two rounds of the KLM Open.

Larrazabal, who won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January, ended 36 holes at 10-under-par 130. The Spaniard shared second place at this event in 2012. His 62 was a course record at Kennemer Golf & Country Club.

Romain Wattel (65) and Edoardo Molinari (66) share second place at minus-8. Soren Hansen (66), Peter Uihlein (68) and Richie Ramsay (65) are tied for fourth at 6-under 134.

Defending champion and first-round leader Joost Luiten managed an even-par 70 and slid into a share of seventh at 5-under 135.

Larrazabal flew out of the gate as he birdied the 10th and 11th to move to minus-4. He continued to roll by converting birdie efforts at 12 and 13.

The Spaniard followed a birdie on 14 with another on the 15th to make it six straight birdies to start his round. He parred four in a row from the 16th.

"After starting with six birdies I was thinking, it is a par 70, I only need five more (for the first 59 on the European Tour)," admitted Larrazabal. "I was aware of the 59 more than the course record. I thought about the 59 when I started with six birdies. I thought I only need five more to make the magic number, but maybe I put pressure on a bit more."

Larrazabal moved to 9-under with a birdie on the second. After four more pars, he converted a birdie try on the par-5 seventh. The 31-year-old dropped his first shot of the day on the par-3 eighth, but he came right back with a 6- foot birdie putt on the ninth to post 10-under.

"I started very fast with birdies on the first six holes and then I tried just to play golf and put myself in position to make some more, but the round cooled down a little bit in the middle," Larrazabal stated.

Wattel also got off a fast start as he birdied four of the first six holes from the 10th. Like Larrazabal, Wattel cooled off as he parred three in a row from No. 16.

Around the turn, Wattel bogeyed No. 1 for the second day in a row. He bounced back with a birdie on the second. Wattel moved to minus-8 with a birdie at the fifth. He ended there after making par on the final four holes.

Molinari faltered to a bogey on No. 10, which was his first hole of the day. After a par at 11, he poured in four consecutive birdies from the 12th to vault to minus-7.

The Italian posted six pars in a row from No. 16. Molinari stumbled to another bogey at the fourth, but atoned for that mistake with a birdie on the sixth. He came right back with another birdie on the seventh. That gave him a piece of second place and he ended there thanks to pars on his final two holes.

"I didn't play that well to be honest, but my score was very good," Molinari said. "I managed to keep the ball in play and that saved the day. My position is great, the game is not at the moment, but I'll take 8-under par."

NOTES: Larrazabal also had the 36-hole lead at this event last year, but he finished tied for ninth ... This is the fourth time Larrazabal has had the 36- hole lead on the European Tour, and he has won one of the previous three ... Luiten is trying to become the first Dutchman to successfully defend a title on the European Tour since the tour formed in 1972 ... Richie Ramsay had a hole-in-one on No. 11 ... The cut line fell at even-par 140 with 76 players advancing to the weekend ... Jose Maria Olazabal, Alvaro Quiros, Anders Hansen, Matteo Manassero, Paul Lawrie and Thomas Bjorn were among those that missed the cut.