Puchong, Malaysia: Young Thai talent Poom Saksansin grabbed the outright lead after shooting a second consecutive three-under-par 67 in the second round of the 54-hole PGM Kinrara Championship on Friday.
The 22-year-old Thai, who held a share of the overnight lead, broke free of the chasing pack with a two-day total of six-under-par 134. He leads by one shot over local duo Shaaban Hussin and Sukree Othman, who carded 66 and 67 respectively, at the Kinrara Golf Club.
Thai duo Pijit Petchkasem (65) and Ronnachai Jamnong (69) shared fourth place with Filipino Mars Pucay (68) and American Josh Salah (68) on 136 at the RM200,000 (approximately US$50,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.
Order of Merit leader Casey O’Toole of the United States slipped to tied-29th position after returning with a 73 at the PGM Kinrara Championship, which is the 23rd leg of the ADT schedule this season.
The PGM Kinrara Championship was earlier reduced to 54 holes by tournament officials after the first round was postponed to Thursday due to bad haze in the local area. The third and final round will take place on Saturday with the first group teeing off at 7.45am local time.
Poom, who turned professional in 2013, took advantage of his sharp-shooting game to cap a flawless round highlighted by three birdies on seven, 13 and 16.
“The game’s feeling good. My round was very steady today. I had a few good putts to save par and I gave myself chances for birdies out there. I think my approach shots were key today. I am pleased with how I have played so far,” said Poom, who started his round on 15.
“The golf course is short and narrow. I just focused on putting the ball on the fairways before hitting it onto the greens. My highlight of the day was the birdie on 13 where I hit an eight-iron from 160 yards which landed three feet from the hole. That was a good finish to my round,” Poom added.
The winner of the PGM Kinrara Championship will take home a prize purse of US$8,164 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking points. The top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.
With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning Official World Golf Ranking points through the Asian Tour and ADT.
The ADT is celebrating its sixth season where it has grown immensely from five events in the first year in 2010 to a record 27 tournaments in 2015.
Leading second round scores
134 - Poom SAKSANSIN (THA) 67 67
135 - Shaaban HUSSIN (MAS) 69 66, Sukree OTHMAN (MAS) 68 67
136 - Ronnachai JAMNONG (THA) 67 69, Pijit PETCHKASEM (THA) 71 65, Josh SALAH (USA) 68 68, Mars PUCAY (PHI) 68 68
137 - Zamri SARIFF (MAS) 71 66, Malcolm KOKOCINSKI (SWE) 70 67, Jordan SHERRATT (AUS) 70 67, Chanat SAKULPOLPHAISAN (THA) 68 69, Irfan YUSOFF (MAS) 70 67, Masaru TAKAHASHI (JPN) 68 69
138 - Abel TAM (MAS) 68 70, Paul HARRIS (USA) 68 70, Thammanoon SRIROJ (THA) 70 68, Janne KASKE (FIN) 68 70, Rizal AMIN (MAS) 71 67
139 - Oskar ARVIDSSON (SWE) 71 68, Shaifubari MUDA (MAS) 75 64, Rudy THUILLIER (FRA) 69 70, Erwan VIEILLEDENT (FRA) 68 71, Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) 69 70, Jonathan WONG (MAS) 73 66, Mitsuhiko HASHIZUME (JPN) 71 68, Nirun SAE-UENG (THA) 70 69
140 - Kemarol BAHARIN (MAS) 68 72, Donlaphatchai NIYOMCHON (THA) 71 69
