SLIM LEAD: Hsu Mong-nan of Taiwan leads PGM Eastwood Valley Masters by one stroke after Round 2.
Bayron one shot behind leader as local pro Sofian in joint third
KUCHING: Hsu Mong-nan of Taiwan stayed in the forefront of the PGM Eastwood Valley Masters by shooting a second round score of one-under-par 71 yesterday.
He held a one-shot advantage over Jay Bayron from the Philippines who also returned with a 71, in the exciting US$80,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event at the Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club in Miri.
Local golf ace, Sofian Kepli is in his top form and fired an impressive five under 67 to secure a tied third place together with Korea’s Park Jin-woo (71) on 140.
From the first tee off, Hsu got to a fast start with a birdie on the first hole and rallied on his homeward nine with three birdies but three putted from a close range at hole eight.
He settled for double bogey for a seven-under-par 137 total.
“Putting is very important…the greens are very tricky and whoever putts the best will win. I still have a lot of work to do,” Hsu said on the event which saw many talented players achieving low scores.
Having played on the Asian Tour since 1997, he relied on past experiences in holding off strong challenges from Bayron in the pursuit for his first ADT win this year.
“I’ve played on the Asian Tour for many years so I think I have more experience. In terms of ball striking, we are all equally good so I have to be patient on the greens and put my experience to good use,” said the 38-year-old currently10th on ADT’s Order of Merit courtesy of a second place result at the recent Ballantine’s Taiwan championship in August.
Bayron, a two-time ADT winner and currently third on the Order of Merit. He expressed confidence of the prime position he is in and is able to launch a title assault after firing three consecutive birdies from the 11th hole against two bogeys.
“I like to come from behind and win,” smiled Bayron. “I think I’m in very good position and struggled a bit with the putter today. If I can get the putter going, I will have a chance of winning.”
Park, whose best finish on the ADT was tied 13th in Johor earlier this year, stayed in touch with the leader with a round of 71 and will rely on his hot irons on the last two days.
“I’m striking my ball very well. All my birdies were close and I hope I can continue it again. If I can find the fairways then I know I’ll be in position of attacking the greens,” said the 19-year-old.
Malaysia’s Akhmal Tarmizee has not enjoyed the best of results since finishing third on the 2010 ADT Order of Merit as he struggled with a wrist injury last year.
After taking time to recuperate, Akhmal is showing signs of a return to form when he shot a 69 to lie five shots from the lead.
“My form hasn’t been good since I earned playing opportunities on the Asian Tour in 2011. I suffered a wrist injury and didn’t practise enough because it hurt after hitting 100 balls.
“I recovered earlier this year and started putting in more practice which seems to be paying off now,” said the 22-year-old.
The PGM/ADT will also be afforded with Official World Golf Ranking status in 2013 which is a huge boost for the development of the game in Asia.
The halfway cut was set at seven-over-par 151 with a total of 55 players making it through to the last two days in the event which is being held as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of Eastwood Valley’s holding company, Woodman Group.