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| Asia Tour |
With the halfway cut set at two-over-par 146 Darren Clarke was one of the 69 players making the weekend rounds, after carding a second round 75 for an aggregate 145.
Up ahead it was Thongchai Jaidee who drew inspiration from the presence of his family members by firing a superb seven-under-par 65 to take the second round lead at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters on Friday.
Thongchai, who holds an unprecedented three Order of Merit titles, posted a flawless round highlighted by seven birdies for two-day total of 10-under-par 134 at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event which is played at the immaculate Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Australia’s Scott Barr shot a second successive 68 in his 200th appearance on the Asian Tour to trail Thongchai by two shots while Wade Ormsby of Australia was in third position on 137.
Reigning Open Championship winner Ernie Els of South Africa shot 70 to stay in the hunt in tied fourth place with Hung Chien-yao of Chinese Taipei and Australians Kieran Pratt, Jake Higginbottom and Scott Hend, who was the overnight co-leader.
The third round of the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters will start at 7am and is expected to finish at approximately 2pm local time due to expected thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Thongchai, who has four top-10s this season, wielded a hot putter as he continues his search for a 14th Asian Tour victory.
“My wife and two sons are here with me this week. My oldest son followed me for nine holes today but my youngest is at the hotel. I’m very happy with my family support. I want to show them that I can play very well,” said Thongchai.
A top-three result at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters will push him inside the top-60 on the Official World Golf Rankings, giving him a strong chance to qualify for the U.S. Open next month. Thongchai was the first Thai to ever play in all four rounds in the 2001 U.S. Open.
“I hope I can keep my confidence like this in the next few days. If I drive, hit and putt like today then I think I have a good chance to win the tournament. My putting wasn’t that good in the last few months but it is coming around now,” said the world number 65.
“I played very solid and I have no complains at all. I think I have a chance to go even lower in the next few days. I’m only halfway there. There are many strong players here but getting off to 10-under after two rounds gives me a good chance.”
Barr hopes to make it a really special 200th Asian Tour event by winning his first victory this week. His wife is also expected to give birth to his second child on Tuesday.
“This week sort of feels like a special week for me. I’ve had a lot of media attention and you sort of feel like you are in the limelight and ready to go. I’ve enjoyed it. Hopefully it will be a week that I will remember,” said Barr.
“I’ve been preparing for my second child for months now. Obviously when I get home after this week, I will be pretty busy. It is very exciting and I’m looking forward to it,” he added.
Els, nicknamed the Big Easy, endured an energy-sapping day but remained confident that he can shoot a low number and contend for the title.
“Today was a bit of a jetlag day for me. I was trying to get some energy going. Hopefully I will have more energy tomorrow. I think my game is all there. I just need to get a bit sharper mentally,” said the four-time Major champion.
“I was hoping for a better score but I didn’t quite get it. My game is not too bad. I just need to eliminate some really small mistakes. This is the type of course where you can get a little bit aggressive. I’m hitting the ball quite nicely so I like to stay aggressive. If I get myself in position, I will go for flags and get my putts in,” added Els.
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