At the end of the second round, Nicolas Colsaerts and George Coetzee took the lead of the Amundi Open de France after a disputed day in difficult conditions at the Golf National.

Colsaerts driver in hand leads after the second round of the Amundi Open de France

Colsaerts in the lead after the second round of the Amundi Open de France - Photo Getty Image

Colsaerts, the Belgian, mastered the cold and windy morning to take the lead in the standings, nine shots under par, with a card of 66, marked by five birdies in six holes from the tenth.

He was joined by the South African Coetzee, who caught up after a double bogey on the 16th - his seventh hole - to also make five birdies in six holes on the second half of the course.

The American Kurt Kitayama is a blow behind, eight under par, a blow in front of the Scotsman Richie Ramsay, who recovered from a double bogey on the first hole to sign a card of 69.

The Dane JB Hansen is in fifth place, six shots under par, tied with the Frenchman Benjamin Hébert, the German Martin Kaymer, already winner of two major tournaments, the Irishman Gavin Moynihan and the South African Brandon Stone, who is followed by his compatriot Jaco Van Zyl, a blow behind.

Nicolas Colsaerts:

“I succeeded in several long putts which ideally launched me on the second half of the course and allowed me to free myself. I'm pretty happy with the way I closed the first two laps. This course is no different from the others. If you play good shots, you can get close and get birdies. "

"I think it will depend on the conditions. This route does not allow you to attack without stopping. It depends on the tee shots, wind direction and the like. You can take risks and try to tell the difference on certain holes. But you have to choose them wisely. "

Kurt Kitayama:

“It was much more complicated today. Especially in the morning. It was really cold, and it was difficult to know how far the ball was going. "

“I didn't give up and I did everything to make a good lap. In these conditions, it feels good not to lose too much ground. When I arrived this morning, I knew the day was going to be difficult, but I had a lot of fun. "

Benjamin Hébert:

“It was very difficult this morning, it was very cold at the start, then very windy at the end. I am very happy and I look forward to attacking the weekend. "

“Kurt (Kitayama) is particularly friendly, and he is also an excellent player. He hit a little further than I did, but it helped keep me focused on my shots. The gusts make each stroke very complicated, and it is sometimes difficult to find the right club and the right way to strike the ball. I didn't do badly, so I'm happy. "