Langkawi, Malaysia: Wilson Choo of Malaysia continued his good form by shooting a five-under-par 67 to seize the lead at the halfway stage of the PGM LADA Langkawi Championship on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Choo, the joint overnight leader, compiled a two-day total of 13-under-par 131 to open up a three-shot lead over Thailand’s Natthapong Niyomchon, who carded a 66, at the RM200,000 (approximately US$60,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.<\/p>\n
Thailand’s Nattapong Putta, who also held a share of the overnight lead, signed for a 71 to sit in third place with American Micah Lauren Shin, who posted a 67, at the Gunung Raya Golf Resorts.<\/p>\n
Arie Irawan, the highest ranked Malaysian in the world, returned with a 66 to stay five shots off the pace in fifth place while four other players, including Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing and local amateur Low Khai Jei, shared sixth on 137.<\/p>\n
Choo double bogeyed the 11th hole after losing focus but regained momentum when he holed a 30-footer eagle on the 15th hole before closing with a birdie to keep up his chase for a first ADT win.<\/p>\n
“I scrambled a little bit but it was still a good round. I had a good start but I struggled on the 11th and 14th holes. I got a bit nervous and lost my focus but I was glad I managed to recover from it,” said the 25-year-old Choo.<\/p>\n
“I’m happy to be in the lead. I will stick to the same game plan for the next two rounds. Everything will be the same for me. Hopefully I can continue to play well and get my first win on the ADT,” added Choo.<\/p>\n
A total of 59 players made the halfway cut which was set at even-par 144.<\/p>\n
The winner of the PGM LADA Langkawi Championship will take home US$9,678 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking points.<\/p>\n
The ADT will reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2016.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com<\/p>\n
Leading second round scores:<\/strong><\/p>\n 131 – Wilson CHOO (MAS) 64-67<\/p>\n 134 – Natthapong NIYOMCHON (THA) 68-66<\/p>\n 135 – Nattapong PUTTA (THA) 64-71, Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) 68-67<\/p>\n 136 – Arie IRAWAN (MAS) 70-66<\/p>\n 137 – Janne KASKE (FIN) 67-70, LAM Chih Bing (SIN) 70-67, Nakarintra RATANAKUL (THA) 70-67, LOW Khai Jei (A) (MAS) 67-70<\/p>\n 138 – Torben BAUMANN (GER) 65-73, Masaru TAKAHASHI (JPN) 70-68, Jack MUNRO (AUS) 70-68, Shaaban HUSSIN (MAS) 71-67, Brett MUNSON (USA) 70-68, Pasamet POGAMNERD (THA) 67-71<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Langkawi, Malaysia: Wilson Choo of Malaysia continued his good form by shooting a five-under-par 67 to seize the lead at the halfway stage of the PGM LADA Langkawi Championship on Thursday.<\/p>\n Choo, the joint overnight leader, compiled a two-day total of 13-under-par 131 to open up a three-shot lead over Thailand’s Natthapong Niyomchon, who carded a 66, at the RM200,000 (approximately US$60,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.<\/p>\n Thailand’s Nattapong Putta, who also held a share of the overnight lead, signed for a 71 to sit in third place with American Micah Lauren Shin, who posted a 67, at the Gunung Raya Golf Resorts.<\/p>\n Arie Irawan, the highest ranked Malaysian in the world, returned with a 66 to stay five shots off the pace in fifth place while four other players, including Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing and local amateur Low Khai Jei, shared sixth on 137.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world-golf-news"],"yoast_head":"\n