Finland’s Joonas Granberg equaled the course record with a 62 to lie a shot off the lead after the second round of the Macau Open yesterday, with Taiwan’s Chan Yih-shin heading the field.
Chan, joint overnight leader at the Macau Golf and Country Club, recovered from an early bogey and saved a vital par with a 20-foot putt on the 15th on his way to a round of 67, to go nine-under for the tournament.
Asian Tour rookie Granberg recovered from his opening round 72 with pinpoint iron play, missing only one green and sinking an eagle at the 18th, and he now stands a good chance of adding to his win at the Selangor Masters in Malaysia in July.
Rikard Karlberg of Sweden, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour who had a share of the first-round lead, also made eagle on the last hole for a 69 to sit in third place.
Starting on the back nine, Chan fired a superb eagle three on the second hole when his seven iron approach from 198 yards landed just nine feet from the pin, before adding two more birdies.
“It has been a long time since I last had such good scores. I’m happy to have a chance to be in the leading group. I like the pressure and I’m eager to play in the next two days,” Chan said.
The 34-year-old said he had struggled with his putting in the last eight months, but he is now full of confidence after pulling off some remarkable shots in the last two rounds.
“I haven’t been playing that well, but my confidence is back. I needed some amazing shots to get my confidence back up,” he said.
Jeev Milkha Singh of India, playing in his first Macau Open since 1999, got round in 68 to share fourth place with highly rated Thanyakon Khrongpha of Thailand and Australia’s Adam Groom, who carded 66 and 69 respectively.
Chan Shih-chang was the next highest-ranked Taiwanese after a 69 left him on three-under.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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