Fleetwood and Hoey share 36-hole lead at Dunhill Links in easy wind

Tommy Fleetwood and Michael Hoey left a trail of big names behind them, sharing the second-round lead at the European Tour’s Dunhill Links Championship on Friday.

Fleetwood, who leads the second-tier Challenge Tour rankings, shot a 9-under 63 at Kingsbarns, the same course where first-round leader Hoey shot a second straight 66. They both have 12-under totals of 132.

Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen is one shot back after a 67 in unseasonably warm conditions at Carnoustie, while 2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell is tied at 10 under with three others after shooting 67.

Defending champion Martin Kaymer shot 67 at Carnoustie, a stroke further back. Rory McIlroy and second-ranked Lee Westwood are 7 under.

While Hoey made seven birdies, Fleetwood rolled in nine in an error-free round after turning in 31 at Kingsbarns, which is producing the lowest scores of the three courses.

“I’ve watched this tournament on TV for years and I pretty much analyze everything (the top players) do. Obviously, my name is in pretty good company right now,” said the 20-year-old Fleetwood, who won a Challenge Tour event in Kazakhstan three weeks ago.

Top-ranked Luke Donald is 4 under after a 71, while fifth-ranked American Dustin Johnson is struggling to make the cut after stumbling to a 73 at Carnoustie.

Hoey has already won a title this year -- in Madeira in May -- but capturing the Dunhill Links and a first prize of $800,000 would rank much higher among his achievements.

“It’s nice to do well in the big ones, because I did reasonable at Wentworth (31st), too. Hopefully, I can keep going the next two days,” the former British Amateur champion said.

With little wind in Scotland for the second straight day, most of the high-profile players who went round the usually severe Carnoustie took full advantage.

The sixth-ranked Kaymer, looking to become the first player to successfully defend the title, put himself in contention to break the course record of 64 after eight birdies in 14 holes. However, bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17 set him back.

“I played very good golf -- it was just not a very good finish. But I’ll settle for a 67 at Carnoustie,” Kaymer said.

Daniel Gaunt of Australia (65 at Kingsbarns), Markus Brier of Austria (68 at Kingsbarns), Marc Warren of Scotland (68 at St. Andrews) and Jaco van Zyl of South Africa (67 at Carnoustie) were at 10 under with McDowell.

James Byrne stole the show from Walker Cup teammate Tom Lewis, making a hole-in-one at Carnoustie to announce himself on the world stage in his first European Tour event as a professional. Byrne aced the par-3 13th when his 7-iron from 174 yards landed just short of the pin before dropping in.

That shot came between a birdie and an eagle as the 22-year-old Scot picked up five strokes in three holes to briefly move to 10 under, one behind the leaders.

A closing seven saw him finish with a 71 -- for 6 under overall -- but Byrne ensured he eclipsed Lewis, another player to recently turn professional who is better known globally after taking the first-round lead at this year’s British Open.

“I couldn’t actually see the hole from the tee but I heard the roar and realized it must have gone in,” Byrne said. “After making two eagles in a row, I felt I was playing well enough to be in contention at that point but just a couple of mental lapses coming in cost me.”

Like Lewis, Byrne played a key role in helping Britain & Ireland defeat United States in the Walker Cup in Aberdeen this month, marking him as a potential star in the making. Events like that, and this week’s prestigious Dunhill Links, have made Byrne appreciate what it’s like to be put under the glare of the spotlight as he embarks on his professional career.

“I played some really big events in the last month with a lot of crowds and media, and handled myself well. I think that set me up really well,” Byrne said.

Byrne believes those experiences will serve him well as he attempts to earn his European Tour card for 2012 in just seven end-of-season events, just as Rory McIlroy did in 2007.

“My expectation before this week definitely wasn’t to be in the top three in my first European Tour event as a professional,” he said. “For me, it’s about playing well, soaking everything up, getting a lot of experience and if anything remarkable happens and I end up finishing high up, then that’s fine.

“But I’ve realized that if I play well, I can compete with these guys. At one stage I was tied for the lead. So my expectations may be changing a little bit.”