Rising South Korean star Noh Seung-yul blasted his second straight five-under-par 66 to take sole possession of the halfway lead at the Midea China Classic yesterday.
The 17-year-old took a two-stroke lead over Australia’s Terry Pilkadaris on day two of the US$500,000 Asian Tour event with a 10-under-par 132 total.
Malaysia’s S. Siva Chandhran is tied for third together with eight other players, including Taiwan’s Hsu Mong-nan and Chen Yuan-chi all on matching 135s. Chen led after the first day thanks to a round of 65 but went round in 70 yesterday.
Noh, who already has three runner-up finishes in his rookie year on the Asian Tour, enjoyed a blemish-free round that was highlighted by five birdies.
“My tee shots and putts went really well for me today and I’m hoping to continue this fine form,” said the teenager, who has his father carrying his bag at the Royal Orchid International Golf Club this week.
“Playing with the more experienced players on the Asian Tour has really made me a better player. I believe that the opportunities and exposure that the Tour has given me has really help me to develop my game,” Noh said.
Pilkadaris had to overcome a nervous scare on his homeward run when he hit two successive bogeys on the 13th and 14th.
The Australian, however managed to regain his composure and made up for the bogeys with two successive birdies at the 17th and 18th.
“It was really frustrating to drop those two shots at 13th and 14th. But when I was at the 17th hole, I realized that I was only a few shots behind the leader. I was so fired up that I birdied my last two holes,” the 34-year-old said.
Chandhran, who started the day in tied sixth place, reeled in two successive birdies in his opening front-nine for a much-needed morale boost.
The Malaysian went on to record another five birdies, but spoiled his card with a double bogey on the par four 13th, and two other successive bogeys on the fifth and sixth.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS