Jack Thompson has the halfway lead in an Asian Tour event for the first time after a second round seven-under-par 65 moved him to 15-under at the US$400,000 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open.
The young Australian, who is languishing in 87th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and fighting to keep his card with three events remaining after this week, has a one-shot lead over defending champion Suteepat Prateeptienchai from Thailand.
Suteepat carded a best of the week 63 here at Taifong Golf Club, while Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao and Thai Runchanapong Youprayong, the joint overnight leader with Thompson, are another two strokes further back.
Hung carded a 64 while Runchanapong fired a 68.
Thompson’s best finish this year is joint 23rd in the Mandiri Indonesia Open in August – surprising for a player who won last year’s Qualifying School and who great things are expected.
“I kept doing what I was doing yesterday,” said the 26-year-old from Melbourne. “I just kept it going. Everything was pretty level; it was all good. My putting has been really good.
“Just trying to not get in my own way. Just all the cliches, like one shot at a time. I just feel really relaxed, don’t know why, just feel really good.”
He finished in a blaze of glory yesterday with an eagle and three birdies in his last four holes and was equally as strong today making eight birdies and dropped his only shot in 36 holes on the first, which was his 10th as he started on the back nine.
He kept his card finishing 54th on last year’s Merit list and feels he is not doing much differently this year.
“I am not trying to hide from what I need to do; I know how I need to play,” he explained.
“I have not been matching everything up this year, but it is only my second year. I don’t feel I am doing that much different from the year before.”
Suteepat won the Yeangder TPC here in Chinese-Taipei at the end of September and is bidding for a rare hat-trick of titles in the island nation.
“I have not been thinking about defending my title this week, but now I am,” he said. “The conditions are easier this year because the greens are soft and slower, so easy to putt.
“The courses in Taiwan require you to hit good tee shots as they are narrow, and I have been playing well from the tee, so that is a reason why I play well here.”
Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam and Shahriffuddin Ariffin from Malaysia are in a tie for fifth, five behind Thompson, after they both carded 67s.
Scores after round 2 of the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open being played Taifong Golf Club, par-72, 7,302-yard course (am – denotes amateur):
129 – Jack Thompson (AUS) 64-65.
130 – Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA) 67-63.
132 – Hung Chien-yao (TWN) 68-64, Runchanapong Youprayong (THA) 64-68.
134 – Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA) 67-67, Shahriffuddin Ariffin (MAS) 67-67.
135 – Liu Yung-hua (TWN) 69-66.
136 – Tomoyo Ikemura (JPN) 67-69, Berry Henson (USA) 68-68, Galven Green (MAS) 68-68, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai (THA) 67-69.
137 – Tanapat Pichaikool (THA) 70-67, Hsieh Chi-hsien (TWN) 70-67, Yuvraj Sandhu (IND) 68-69, Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA) 69-68, Danthai Boonma (THA) 65-72, Chen Yi-tong (TWN) 70-67, Lee Chieh-po (TWN) 68-69, Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA) 69-68, Wang Wei-hsuan (TWN) 72-65, Hsieh Tung-hung (TWN) 72-65.
138 – Yeh Chia-yin (TWN) 69-69, Kao Teng (TWN) 69-69, Shen Wei-cheng (TWN) 71-67, Minhyeok Yang (KOR) 71-67, Phachara Khongwatmai (THA) 70-68, Panuphol Pittayarat (THA) 70-68, Suradit Yongcharoenchai (THA) 68-70.
139 – Liu Yanwei (CHN) 73-66, Poom Saksansin (THA) 69-70, Huang Yi-tseng (TWN) 67-72, Justin Warren (AUS) 70-69, Justin Quiban (PHI) 67-72, Settee Prakongvech (THA) 69-70.
140 – K.P. Lin (TWN) 68-72, He Chin-hung (TWN) 68-72.
141 – James Leow (SGP) 73-68, Hung Chao-hsin (TWN) 68-73, Jared Du Toit (CAN) 66-75, Kazuki Higa (JPN) 70-71, Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA) 72-69, Yeongsu Kim (KOR) 71-70, Chen Guxin (CHN) 72-69, Natipong Srithong (THA) 69-72, Lu Wei-chih (TWN) 67-74, Ahmad Baig (PAK) 72-69.
142 – Kosuke Hamamoto (THA) 72-70, Itthipat Buranatanyarat (THA) 72-70, Aaron Wilkin (AUS) 71-71, Liu Yen-hung (TWN) 74-68, Karandeep Kochhar (IND) 71-71, Zach Murray (AUS) 69-73, Matt Killen (ENG) 70-72, Gunn Charoenkul (THA) 71-71, Khalin Joshi (IND) 70-72, Tsai Tsung-yu (TWN) 68-74, Charng-Tai Sudsom (THA) 72-70, Ho Yu-cheng (TWN) 70-72, Lai Chia-i (TWN) 70-72, Jonathan Wijono (INA) 74-68, Manav Shah (USA) 67-75.
143 – Lion Park (KOR) 70-73, Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND) 69-74, Su Ching-hung (TWN) 73-70, Carlos Pigem (ESP) 73-70, Prom Meesawat (THA) 72-71, Chen Wei-sheng (TWN) 75-68, Chanat Sakulpolphaisan (THA) 73-70, Sean Ramos (PHI) 74-69.
144 – Wen Cheng-hsiang (TWN) 74-70, David Meyers (RSA) 74-70, Yeh Yu-chen (TWN) 75-69, Leo Oyo (JPN) 71-73, Naoki Sekito (JPN) 74-70, Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 73-71, Shotaro Ban (USA) 74-70, Chiu Han-ting (TWN) 73-71.
145 – Wang Hsi-an (TWN) 73-72, Lu Sun-yi (TWN) 69-76, Chan Shih-chang (TWN) 69-76, Chapchai Nirat (THA) 74-71, Sam Brazel (AUS) 79-66, Jarin Todd (USA) 74-71, Lin Keng-wei (TWN) 74-71, Wang Sheng-hui (TWN) 70-75, Sung Mao-chang (TWN) 72-73, Chang Wei-lun (TWN) 72-73, Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (THA) 74-71, Cho Tsung-lin (TWN) 75-70.
146 – Hsu Chih-kai (TWN) 72-74, William Harrold (ENG) 74-72, Miguel Carballo (ARG) 72-74, Varun Chopra (IND) 72-74, Ye Wocheng (CHN) 73-73, Ervin Chang (MAS) 73-73, Hsu Yu-cheng (TWN) 73-73.
147 – Lin Jiu-you (am, TWN) 74-73, Koh Deng Shan (SGP) 72-75, Shapiyate Mako (TWN) 74-73.
148 – Lin Ta-yu (TWN) 73-75, Eric McIntosh (SCO) 76-72, Rory Hie (INA) 76-72, Hsu Li-peng (TWN) 78-70, Chang Tse-yu (TWN) 73-75, Liu Yu-jui (TWN) 73-75.
149 – Leon D’Souza (HKG) 74-75, Pukhraj Singh Gill (IND) 77-72, Ben Jones (ENG) 75-74, Dodge Kemmer (USA) 80-69.
150 – Tsai Kai-jen (TWN) 78-72, Alex Ching (USA) 70-80.
151 – Angus Flanagan (ENG) 72-79, Tseng Fu-tung (TWN) 75-76, Lin Chang-heng (TWN) 78-73, Lin Yung-lung (TWN) 75-76.
152 – Thomas Lim (USA) 78-74, Tsai Shang-kai (TWN) 74-78.
154 – Gabriel Tomas Manotoc (PHI) 75-79.
155 – Yeh Fu (TWN) 76-79.
END.
-1 (143) was the final cut, 69 players made the cut
Chikkarangappa S., India – RT
