Sentosa: Unheralded Seungsu Han of the United States upstaged the tournament marquee names by carding a second round four-under-par 67 to grab the second round clubhouse lead at the SMBC Singapore Open on Friday.
Han, who is chasing his first professional win at the US$1 million Singapore showpiece, surprised even himself when he compiled a two-day total of nine-under-par 133 to give himself a two-shot advantage over Australia’s Adam Scott and Malaysia’s Gavin Green, who was at seven-under through 15 holes before play was suspended due to fading light at 7.21pm.
Scott continues to remain in contention for a record fourth Singapore Open title after he signed for a 67. The Australian, who had the huge galleries following him at the Sentosa Golf Club, returned early at 7.30am to complete his remaining three holes from his first round before heading back out to mix his card with five birdies and one bogey for a 135 total.
Scott’s title ambitions will be put to test by a fast-charging Angelo Que of the Philippines, who stormed up the leaderboard with a 69 to share fourth place with Singapore’s Quincy Quek as the iconic Singapore showpiece heads into the weekend rounds.
Quek can expect the local crowd to cheer him on as he continues his amazing run on home soil, firing three birdies in his closing four holes to sign for a 68.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who has made great strides in his career since he first teed up in the Lion City, returned with a 71 to stay in touch with the leaders in tied-sixth place that also features India’s Gagnjeet Bhullar and defending champion Younghan Song of Korea.
Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung finally made the cut in his fifth attempt at the US$1 million event that is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation.
Interesting facts of the day:
Han holds a black belt in taekwondo and did speed skating when he was young. He moved to the United States when he was 12.
Han came through the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2010 but did not keep his card.
Que’s best result at the Singapore Open came in 2011 where he finished tied-19th.
Pavit last played in the Singapore Open 10 years ago. It was his first professional tournament outside of Thailand and he got through the Monday qualifier.
Fung made the halfway cut for the first time in his fifth attempt at the Singapore Open.
At 17, Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand is the youngest player to make the cut at the SMBC Singapore Open this week.
26 players will continue return to continue their second round at 7.30am on Saturday.
Key Quotes
Seungsu Han (Usa) – Second Round 67 (-4), Total 133 (-9)
It obviously feels good. I am a bit surprised because I took some time off in December after my season last year so I wasn’t really expecting anything coming here. I just want to play and see where it gets me. It feels good to be playing well.
I played web.com tour right after college in 2009 and I came back to play in Asia. I played in Japan, China, Canada and I was all over the place. I took a few years off and went back to play in Japan again.
Adam Scott (Aus) – Second Round 67 (-4), Total 135 (-7)
I got off to a great start when I won here the first two times. It’s just one of those courses that I feel very comfortable on. I always feel like I am coming back to my second home in Sentosa.
I think I got myself into a very nice posture to get over the ball. That’s why I was able to hole putts out there. It’s something that you are always searching for. I hope to keep doing it for the next two rounds too. You got to take advantage of that good feeling when it happens. I just managed to do that.
Angelo Que (Phi) – Second Round 69 (-2), Total 136 (-6)
I feel good with how I have played these two rounds. I hit it really good yesterday and I managed to continue that form when we restart this morning. I holed a lot of putts and made a lot of up and downs. I think to shoot a two-under par in this condition is pretty good for me.
It is nice to see my friends on the Asian Tour coming back this week. It’s been pretty lonely for me playing in Japan because I am still quite new on that Tour. Seeing them here this week was bliss.
Quincy Quek (Sgp) - Second Round 68 (-3), Total 136 (-6)
The week has been going very well for me. Actually I did not expect myself to play today as it was raining and there were dark cloud all over. I was expecting it to be like last year where I came out on Friday to play just one hole and 35 holes on Saturday. But overall, I’m glad I was be able to squeeze in my last hole in fading light. At least I don’t have to come back early tomorrow and can have some extra hours of sleep.
I want to try to play my front nine a little bit better over the weekend. You have to be very patient with your game when you play on this course. You cannot take anything for granted here. You can’t really try to chase the score here. I believe my game is good enough to be in contention. It just tightening up the loose ends and stringing four good rounds together. I’ve always been taught to stay in the present and focus on moving forward. In between feeds when baby is sleeping, my wife will be probably be watching me in action on TV.
Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) – Second round 69 (-2), Total 137 (-5)
I hit the ball really well. I think I played better than I did yesterday. I gave myself a lot of opportunities and I didn’t make too many mistakes. Overall, it was a good and smooth round. I hit a lot of greens in regulation.
The golf course demands good tee shots and good iron-play and a lot of good putts. I think patience is going to play a very important role this week. Apart from that, I am very much looking forward to playing in the weekend rounds.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert (Tha) – Second Round 71 (even-par), Total 137 (-5)
I last played in the Singapore Open 10 years ago. It was my first professional tournament outside of Thailand. I remember getting through the Monday qualifier and played in the event but I didn’t make the cut. This week is my second time. It has been a long time.
There has been a lot of changes these 10 years. It hasn’t been easy to get to where I am right now. Winning my first Asian Tour event in Macau last year has given me a lot of confidence in my game. Playing and winning on the Asian Development Tour earlier has helped a lot in my career too.
The conditions are superb here and I am thrilled to be able to play alongside world class players here in Singapore. I feel very different now compared to 10 years ago. Obviously the game is much better now! I have gained more experiences over the years too. It’s always nice to come and play in Singapore. I used to play here a lot when I was an amateur.
Nicholas Fung (Mas) – Second Round 71 (even-par), Total 138 (-4)
I am very happy to make it into the weekend and put myself in a good position too. I came back this morning to finish four holes from the first round and I birdied the 15 which was not an easy hole. It was a good start to the day. I gained some confidence from there.
I didn’t think too much playing here, having missed the cut four times before. I told myself to just do what I need to do and not think so much. I am glad it worked out. My mental game is stronger now.
