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.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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