Shaw and Thornton survive Waterloo cut

Robert Dinwiddie got away from golf for 10 weeks by escaping to Thailand. He leads the Telenet Trophy at halfway with Finn Roope Kakko. Picture Getty ImagesGareth Shaw and Simon Thornton were the only Irish survivors as England’s Robert Dinwiddie and Finn Roope Kakko topped the leaderboard in the weather delayed Telent Trophy at a soggy Royal Waterloo in Belgium.

Shaw carded a pair of 70s to trail the leaders by seven shots and share 38th place on two under whole Thornton added a 70 to his opening 71 to make one-under par cut on the number.

There was frustration for the rest of the Irish contingent in Belgium with Birr’s Stephen Grant the most aggrieved as he missed the cut by one after rounds of 70 and 73.

The former footballer found a poorly raked bunker at his 16th hole in the second round and ran up a double bogey five that ultimately cost him dear.

While he birdied the eighth he couldn’t pick up a shot at the last and ended up on level par alongside Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar, who played his last 11 holes in five under and still missed out.

Last year’s British Amateur champion, who will play on the European Tour in Sweden next week, shot an opening 72 but then made a horrific start to his second round.

Four over for his first seven holes after bogeys at the 12th and 15th and double bogey six at the 16th, he birdied the 17th and 18th, leaving him needing a four under par homeward nine to make the cut.

Things looked promising when he birdied the second and third but a dropped shot at the tough sixth proved crucial and birdies at the seventh and eighth were not enough to give him two more rounds.

Douglas’ Peter O’Keeffe also made an early exit in his first start of the 2013 season.

One under starting the second round, he dropped an early shot at the par three 12th but was always fighting a losing battle following a triple bogey six at the 160-yard 15th and missed by three shots after a 74.

Seeking his fourth Challenge Tour win, Dinwiddie shot a six under 65 as Kakko posted a 68 to leave them two shots clear of six players, including 2010 Hassan II Trophy winner Rhys Davies, on nine under.

Dinwiddie recently took a 10-week sabbatical from the game after a difficult spell of form but believes his escape to Thailand was exactly what he needed to gain perspective on his life and his game.

“I played in India in January at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge, played rubbish and just didn’t want to be there so I ended up going to Thailand for two months,” said Dinwiddie, who has twice graduated for The European Tour via the Challenge Tour.

“I put the clubs away for ten weeks. I needed it. I had never done anything like that before - just completely switch off and live a different lifestyle and forget about golf for a while.

“I put some work in since then and I think I’m working on the right things. Even today it’s still not where I want it to be but I’m getting it right more of the time.”

133 R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 68 65, R Kakko  (Fin) 65 68,

135 L Goddard  (Eng) 64 71, R Davies (Wal) 67 68, D Gaunt (Aus) 69 66, D Kemmer (USA) 67 68, C Russo (Fra) 69 66, T Sluiter  (Ned) 68 67, M Sell  (Eng) 66 69,

136 S Hutsby  (Eng) 69 67,

137 P Dwyer (Eng) 68 69, F Calmels  (Fra) 70 67, C Aguilar  (Esp) 71 66, V Riu  (Fra) 68 69, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 66, S Kapur (Ind) 70 67, S Manley (Wal) 67 70, D Vancsik (Arg) 66 71, A Otaegui  (Esp) 67 70, J Lima  (Por) 72 65, D Im (USA) 71 66, W Besseling  (Ned) 69 68,

138 B Koepka  (USA) 68 70, P Maddy (Eng) 72 66, S Kim (Kor) 69 69, W Booth  (Sco) 70 68, J Ruth  (Eng) 67 71, J Guerrier  (Fra) 68 70,

139 T Hatton (Eng) 71 68, C Kim (USA) 72 67, B Hebert  (Fra) 69 70, D Ulrich (Sui) 74 65, N Quintarelli (Ita) 72 67, D Denison  (Eng) 66 73, Å Nilsson (Swe) 64 75,

140 L Weber (Fra) 70 70, R McGowan  (Eng) 72 68, S Tiley (Eng) 71 69, A Perrino  (Ita) 69 71, D Brooks (Eng) 68 72, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 70 70, O Floren  (Swe) 68 72, R Russell (Sco) 70 70, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 69 71, B Parker  (Eng) 70 70, G Shaw (Nir) 70 70, A Hortal  (Esp) 71 69, S Piaget  (Mon) 70 70,

141 A McArthur  (Sco) 71 70, E Johansen  (Nor) 72 69, S Thornton (Irl) 71 70, J Glennemo (Swe) 69 72, B Etchart  (Esp) 73 68, G Watremez (Bel) 71 70, F De Vries  (Ned) 70 71, D Dixon (Eng) 71 70, T Fournier  (Fra) 70 71, K Borsheim  (Nor) 70 71, E Bertheussen (Nor) 72 69, A Pavan (Ita) 72 69, S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 70 71, A Bernadet  (Fra) 69 72, J Doherty  (Sco) 69 72, A Rota (Ita) 71 70

CUT

142 R Kellett (Sco) 72 70, K Ferrie (Eng) 70 72, P Gal  (Cze) 73 69, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 72 70, S Grant  (Irl) 69 73, G Stal  (Fra) 69 73, B An (Kor) 72 70, J Moul  (Eng) 66 76, J Carlsson (Swe) 69 73, M Haremza (Ger) 71 71, E Dubois (Fra) 71 71, F Colombo (Ita) 67 75, F Praegant (Aut) 72 70, A Dunbar (Nir) 72 70, J McLeary  (Sco) 71 71, M Glauert (Ger) 73 69, D Frittelli (RSA) 71 71, J Abbott (Eng) 70 72, B Dredge (Wal) 72 70,

143 F Svanberg  (Sui) 70 73, J Dantorp (Swe) 70 73, J Mommo  (Fin) 75 68, M Trappel  (Aut) 74 69, L Saltman (Sco) 70 73, I Giner (Esp) 75 68, M Kramer  (Ger) 73 70, T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 73 70, P Relecom  (Bel) 74 69, B Chapellan (Fra) 74 69,

144 O Whiteley (Eng) 74 70, A Engell  (Nor) 76 68, E Espana (Fra) 73 71, G Boyd  (Eng) 72 72, G Gresse  (Bel) 72 72, D Wuensche  (Ger) 75 69, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 73 71, P O’Keeffe  (Irl) 70 74, A Gee  (Eng) 74 70, A Domingo (Esp) 72 72, M Rominger  (Sui) 76 68, N Ravano (Ita) 71 73, N Vanhootegem (Bel) 72 72,

145 J Huldahl (Den) 74 71, J Fahrbring (Swe) 73 72, M Haastrup  (Den) 74 71, T Remkes (Ned) 72 73, N Elvira  (Esp) 75 70, T Nørret (Den) 73 72, J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 77 68, A Velasco (Esp) 76 69, M Southgate  (Eng) 73 72, P Archer (Eng) 72 73,

146 O Wilson (Eng) 76 70, J Howarth (Eng) 72 74, M Prihoda (Cze) 74 72, M Novy  (Cze) 72 74, O Farr (Wal) 76 70, G Cambis  (Fra) 73 73, C Macaulay  (Sco) 70 76, A De Bondt (am) (Bel) 70 76,

147 J Mikkelsen (Nor) 71 76, T Murray (Eng) 73 74, G Houston (Wal) 72 75, M Crespi  (Ita) 70 77, A Forsyth (Sco) 72 75, M Hermans  (Bel) 78 69, D Stewart (Sco) 74 73,

148 H Bacher (Aut) 71 77, J Senior (Eng) 73 75, P Oriol (Esp) 76 72, G Monville (Bel) 73 75, D Geminiani (Ita) 74 74, J Timmis (Eng) 76 72, D Perrier (Fra) 77 71, A Bailly (am) (Bel) 74 74,

149 F McGuirk  (Eng) 76 73, D Griffiths  (Eng) 75 74, R Saxton (Ned) 76 73, J Lucquin (Fra) 76 73, C Brazillier  (Fra) 76 73, J Barnes (Eng) 75 74, K Hesbois (am) (Bel) 75 74,

151 F Laporta (Ita) 77 74, T Haylock  (Eng) 75 76,

153 G Seegmuller  (Bel) 81 72,

154 S Echikson (am) (Bel) 77 77,

155 L Richard (Bel) 77 78, R Hahn (Hun) 76 79,

157 J Whitehouse (Aus) 78 79,

** M De Craecker (am) (Bel) DQ  0, G Murray  (Sco) 72 RT, N Dougherty  (Eng) 76 RT,