Singapore’s Lam Chihbing extended his hot form with a 6-under 66 yesterday to claim a two-stroke lead at the halfway point of the Asian Tour’s season-ending Volvo Masters.
Lam was runner-up at the Cambodian Open last week, and has showed more good touch to move to a two-round total of 9-under 135, putting him clear of a group of four players at 7-under: local hope Chapchai Nirat of Thailand (66), Antonio Lascuna (67) of the Philippines and Australian pair Mitchell Brown (67) and Marcus Both (68).
Since securing his tour card for next year with a strong showing at the lucrative Singapore Open last month, a more relaxed Lam has thrived and duly took his place in the season ender for the Tour’s top 65 players.
“After Singapore, knowing that I’ve kept my card, it’s become so much easier to play out here,” Lam said. “It was a big monkey off my back. I can pretty much freewheel it now.”
“I didn’t get it done on the last day in Singapore but to know that I could actually match some of the best players in the world gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.
Both Lam and Chapchai have benefited by switching putters, and the two also shared a common experience in Singapore where they played in the final group on the last day alongside world No. 3 Phil Mickelson, only to fall out of contention.
“It is a mental game,” big-swinging Chapchai said. “I learnt a lot from Singapore. Right now, my game is okay. I am in good form and hopefully I can control my mind and my emotions better than I did in Singapore.”
His fellow Thai and defending champion Prayad Marksaeng hauled himself back into contention for a title defense with a tournament-best 65, putting him in outright eighth, four shots off the lead.
“I was not too worried about shooting a 74 yesterday [Thursday]. I knew I would be out early this morning and I thought I could play well. That is how it turned out,” Prayad said.
The Thai needs a good result this weekend to cement his position in the world’s top-50 and earn a place in the US Masters.
He is lying a shot behind compatriot Chawalit Plaphol (67) and Taiwan’s Lin Wen-tang (70).
Lin is currently 51st in world rankings and is also keen for a good showing that would put him inside the top 50 at year’s end and thus confirm his place in next year’s US Masters.
This year’s Order of Merit winner Jeev Milka Singh of India improved with a 70 but is already seemingly out of contention after a first-round 76, leaving him 11 shots off the lead.
First-round leader Neven Basic of Australia had a 74 to go from a two-stroke lead to a five-shot deficit.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946