Miaoli, Chinese Taipei: India’s rising star Chikkarangappa S. fired a sizzling seven-under-par 65 and stayed bogey-free to share the halfway clubhouse lead with James Byrne of Scotland at the weather-disrupted US$150,000 Charming Yeangder ADT on Friday.
Chikkarangappa, chasing for a third Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory and first outside of India, highlighted his round with seven birdies to seize the clubhouse lead by one shot on 11-under-par 133 alongside Byrne, who returned with a 68, at the National Golf Country Club.
Overnight leader Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei slipped to third place following a battling 67 while American Greg Moss, Thai duo Pijit Petchkasem and Pavit Tangkamolprasert shared fourth on 135 following rounds of 70, 70 and 66 respectively.
ADT Order of Merit leader Itthipat Buranatanyarat of Thailand carded a 68 to stay four shots off the pace in tied-14th position while defending champion Hsieh Chi-hsien of Chinese Taipei settled a further shot back in tied-19th following a 67 at the Charming Yeangder ADT.
The second round of the Charming Yeangder ADT, originally scheduled to start at 6.50am local time, was delayed for one and a half hours in the morning due to fog. Play was later abandoned for the day at 6.15pm due to the fading light.
A total of 13 players will resume their round at 7.00am on Saturday with round three not starting before 9.30am.
Chikkarangappa, who nailed three closing birdies to sign for the day’s lowest score of 65, rode on his hot putter to stay flawless after 36 holes.
“It was an amazing round. I started slow but I made some good up and downs out there. Everything was good for me,” said the 22-year-old Indian, who amassed 23 putts, with the longest one being a 20-footer birdie putt from right to left and downhill on par-three eighth.
“I am very happy with how I played these two days, especially with a new driver and a new three-wood in the bag. I am able to find more fairways this week compared to my past experiences playing on this course. My putting was really solid,” added Chikkarangappa.
Byrne, who enjoyed a top-10 finish in Malaysia last week, took advantage of the easy scoring conditions to put himself in prime position for a third victory on the region’s burgeoning Tour.
“I played well today although I missed a few short putts. The course is playing quite easy at the moment with not much wind. The conditions were pretty similar but the pin positions were a little tougher today I thought. I tried to go as low as I can today and I am happy with where I stand now,” said the 27-year-old Scotsman.
Starting from the 10, Byrne marked his card with two birdies against one bogey to turn in 35 before adding four birdies against another bogey on his back nine to grab a share of the clubhouse lead.
“The game’s been feeling good. I played well last week and I felt I could have done better. It’s great to carry on that good form into this week. I have been practicing a lot and it’s paying dividends now. I expect the scoring to keep being low so I will just have to make as many birdies as I can the next two days,” added Byrne.
Lin, who held a two-shot advantage heading into the round, lamented a cold putter but took it in his stride as he avoided making big mistakes. He totaled 31 putts for the day and missed a six-footer for eagle on 16.
“I didn’t putt well at all. That was the biggest difference compared to yesterday but I am still happy to be in a good position. I haven’t play well this year so it’s good to see myself in contention again,” said the 41-year-old, who made only two cuts on the Asian Tour so far this season and had to withdraw from the Hero Indian Open two weeks ago due to a sprained foot.
The halfway cut is projected to be at three-under-par 141 with the top 50 and ties advancing to the next two rounds.
The Charming Yeangder ADT will provide another opportunity for players to earn OWGR points, which will be key in qualifying for the Olympic Games taking place in Rio de Janeiro this August.
For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.
Leading second round results:
133 – James BYRNE (SCO) 65-68, Chikkarangappa S. (IND) 68-65
134 – LIN Wen-tang (TWN) 63-71
135 – Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 69-66, Pijit PETCHKASEM (THA) 65-70, Greg MOSS (USA) 65-70
136 – Paul HARRIS (USA) 69-67, Chanat SAKULPOLPHAISAN (THA) 70-66, Baxter REEVES (USA) 70-66, WANG Ter-chang (TWN) 67-69, Sutijet KOORATANAPISAN (THA) 66-70, YU Chun-an (A) (TWN) 68-68, Kevin TECHAKANOKBOON (THA) 70-66
