Thorbjørn Olesen shot four under par in the second round of the British Open at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s yesterday, placing in him in fourth place overall with a five under 135 at the half-way point.

Tipped as Denmark’s next big golfing name, Olesen, 22, started the round in fifth place, and it wasn’t until the 18th hole, and his second consecutive birdie putt, that he secured fourth place. 

Olesen, playing in only his second Major tournament, said he hadn’t expected to be among the leaders of The Open, even though he was confident he was capable of playing with the world’s best.

“It’s been nice to play really well these first two days, but there’s still a lot of golf to be played,” he told the press after Friday’s round.

When Olesen tees off today, he will be playing not just with the tournament’s other leaders, he’ll also be playing alongside long-time idol Tiger Woods, currently three under and in third place.

Olesen told golf website europeantour.com that he expected to be able to remain focused on his game, despite the media entourage that follows Woods and his own admiration for the 14-time Major champion.

“I have a lot of confidence, and I believe I can do it. It's going to be a lot of fun I think.”

Also continuing in the today’s third round will be Thomas Bjørn, who is shooting one under and is in a 13-way tie for fifteenth overall.

The two other Danes in this year’s Open, Anders Hansen and Morten Ørum Madsen, who was making his first appearance in the tournament, failed to make the cut yesterday.