Julien Quesne inches ahead of Paul Lawrie at cold, wet Omega European Masters

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Julien Quesne called his second round in the Alps his second-day best ever in tournament play.

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PA Sport 

Series: European Tour

CRANS MONTANA, Switzerland -- France's Julien Quesne moved into the lead of the Omega European Masters after he shot a second-round 65 on Friday.

The 32-year-old moved ahead of England's Danny Willett with 6 under par for the day and 9 under par overall to earn a one-shot lead.

Quesne, who claimed his first European Tour title at the Andalucia Open in March, fired seven birdies as he edged into the lead.

"I took a lot of pleasure from how I played today," Quesne said. "I hit so many good shots; I managed to stay calm and I holed a lot of putts.

"My final round in Andalucia was the best of my career, because it was under a lot of pressure," he added. "But today was probably my second best, because the conditions were very tough and I hardly missed a shot. So I'm very happy."

Scotland's Paul Lawrie scored 66 to move into third ahead of Englishman David Howell, who mixed four birdies with three bogeys at Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps. Lawrie, part of the European Ryder Cup Team and the winner of last week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, was satisfied with his current form.

"I played lovely again today, hit a lot of good putts -- not all of them went in, but a fair few did," he said. "So I'm very happy with my day's work, despite the weather.

"A lot of guys don't like playing in the cold and the wet, but that plays into the hands of people like me who don't mind it," he explained. "I've had a couple of decent sleeps, so I feel fine and raring to go. There's a nice, relaxed feel to this week anyway, which always helps."

Tommy Fleetwood and Robert Coles were also 6 under par after the first two rounds, tied with Howell and Australian Marcus Fraser.

Frenchman Romain Wattel finished 5 under par for the day and was tied for eighth with Scotland's Richie Ramsay and three others at the end of the day's play. Ramsay completed the course in a 3-under 68 with five birdies and two dropped shots.

Overnight leader Gregory Bourdy had a miserable day, however. He picked up a shot at the first but carded five bogeys to score a 4-over-par 75 and drop four shots off the lead.

Outtakes: Jim Leonhard

Posted Aug 16, 2008

By BaltimoreRavens.com



Ravens safety tells BR.com about his slam dunking ability and his love for cheese curds.


Recently, BR.com caught up with fourth-year safety Jim Leonhard – a Ravens offseason free agent signee who grew up in Tony, Wisconsin – and learned a little about his off-the-field life.

BR.com: You won a couple slam dunk contests in college. What was the situation?

Jim Leonhard: “That was offseason of my freshman year and sophomore year. During offseason conditioning for football, they threw us a bone. We’d have free throw competitions and dunk competitions. One of the last sessions before spring ball, they always kind of gave us a break and did something fun.”

How old were you when you first dunked?

“I was a freshman in high school. I was playing summer league basketball, and one day during a tournament it just kind of happened. I just went up, and it felt good.”

Who was a role model for you growing up?

“A lot of people, but I think it all started out with my brother, Brian, who’s a couple years older than I am. I was a young kid trying to play with him and all his friends. It was nice to have someone ahead of me to push me to get better.”

How do you pass your time off the field?

“I like to relax off the field. I love playing golf in the offseason. Other than that, I just relax with my wife, Katie. We just bought a place back in Madison, Wisconsin. We’re pretty low-key – go to movies and restaurants.”

Have you been married long?

“I’ve been married for a year. I got married last summer in June right after OTAs, so it was nice to get the family together and a bunch of friends and people I haven’t seen in awhile. She’s from just outside of Atlanta, so we got married down there.”

What movies have you seen recently?

“I saw Pineapple Express the other day. That was a funny movie. The new Batman movie was unbelievable. The Joker was incredible. Heath Ledger did an unbelievable job, and it’s unfortunate what happened to him.”

You mentioned going to restaurants, too. Did you find some good wing spots when you played in Buffalo?

“There are a lot of places for good wings. The one where they originated – Anchor Bar – it’s definitely a place you’ve got to check out early. There’s no shortage of wings in Buffalo.”

Being a Wisconsinite, what’s your cheese of choice?

"I’m actually not a huge cheese guy, but I love cheese curds. I’ve got to stick to my roots.”