SINGAPORE'S Mardan Mamat produced a masterful two-under-par 70 in tough conditions to open up a three-shot lead over American Ben Fox and local bets Antonio Lascuna and Ferdinand Aunzo at the ICTSI Philippine Open yesterday.
Chasing a third Asian Tour victory and his first since 2006, the veteran tamed the notorious Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s East course with two birdies against no bogeys to go up by three over Fox, Lascuna and Aunzo with his two-day total of five-under-par 139.
Lascuna battled to a 71, Aunzo shot a 70 while Fox scrambled to a 73 in Asia’s oldest national championship to lie on 142. Korea’s Mo Joong-kyung, Filipino teenager Miguel Tabuena, Chinese Taipei’s Lu Tze-shyan and American rookie Sam Cyr were amongst those bunched on 143 going into the weekend rounds.
Only 10 players are in red figures at the halfway stage, with the cut set at six-over-par 150 which saw 79 players making it through to the weekend rounds of the S$300,000 tournament.
Coming off a relatively quiet 2011 season, Mardan broke away from a packed leaderboard with easy birdies on the fifth and 10th holes. “Going into the last three holes, I told myself that it would be a bonus if I could stay bogey free and I managed to do it. The winds were more, it’s swirling a lot. I was pretty much in control of my swing,” said Mardan.
The 44-year-old finished 57th on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit last season, his lowest position since 1998, despite enjoying one runner-up finish. He said splitting his time in Japan hurt his game. “Last year was a nightmare. I played too much golf and I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m going to take it one step at a time.
“I did a lot of work-out during the off season. I spent four or five times a week in the gym with my trainer. I think that has helped my fitness get better. I’m feeling relaxed. If I can stay relaxed, it should be good. I have full respect for this golf course. It can make you happy and it can make you unhappy. I hope I will stay happy for the next two days. I like the way I’m playing,” said Mardan.
Published : Friday May 25, 2012 | Category : Sports | Views : 19
By : People's Journal
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By : People's Journal
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By : People's Journal
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By : People's Journal
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By : People's Journal
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