A well-rested Fredrik Jacobson stormed into a one-stroke lead at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament after the Swede shot a bogey-free 66 in the second round at the Sheshan International Club yesterday.
The 37-year-old followed up an opening 67 with another impressive round to post an 11-under halfway total, one clear of former Open winner Louis Oosthuizen, who produced a brilliant nine-under 63, and Australia’s Adam Scott.
Overnight leader, USPGA champion Keegan Bradley, was five shots worse in his second round, but he still managed a solid two-under 70 to sit alone in fourth place on nine-under for the tournament.
Jacobson, who has one victory in eight years on the USPGA Tour, warmed up for this week’s event in Malaysia last week, where he admitted his golf had been upset by a lack of sleep.
However, now fully adjusted to the Asian time zones, the Swede is confident he can add to the Travellers Championship title he won in June.
“In Malaysia, I had a hard time with the sleep and jetlag,” he told reporters. “I was sleeping in shifts of two hours here and three hours there. It was difficult to deal with a 12-hour time change.”
Jacobson said he had certainly benefited from the softer Sheshan greens after a violent overnight thunderstorm and the more receptive putting surfaces certainly suited Oosthuizen, as the South African recorded the first 63 of his career.
Taiwan’s Chan Yih-shin shot a 74 for a five-over total after two rounds.
Asian interest over the weekend will center around Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, who moved to within four shots of Jacobson with a 69, despite struggling with a neck injury which required a physio season before his round.
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