It's a Glee-ful day for David as he
goes five clear in Macau Open

Australian hotshot David Gleeson broke away from the chasing pack after firing his second straight seven-under-par 64 for the second round lead at the Macau Open today.
Gleeson, 30, nailed eight birdies against a lone bogey for a 14-under-par 128 total and a five stroke advantage over the charging field at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
Indian rookie Anirban Lahiri and Australia’s Adam Blyth shot matching 65s to lie in a tie for second place alongside Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang who carded a 68 and England’s Yasin Ali who improved with a 64.
Rhys Davies of Wales was among those in a tie for sixth place after a 68 together with Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat who carded a 69 in the US$500,000 Asian Tour event.
But it was Taipei-based Gleeson who remained firmly at the top of the leaderboard eager to end his six-year title drought this week.
“I stuck to my game plan although the wind picked up slightly today. A 14 under after two days is a good score. This is an interesting course with the hills and swirling breeze so I will keep studying the course and hope to get the nightmare off the scorecard.
“I’ve come here to do a good job just like how I have been planning to do well in the remaining weeks on the Asian Tour.
“My goal was to play better earlier on in the season but I didn’t quite do it. I went back home and practised quite a lot and I returned with three top-10 finishes from four events a few months ago. That got me going and I hope to gather momentum for a win this week,” said Gleeson, who won the 2002 Volvo China Open.
Lahiri, 21, has found his footing on the Asian Tour this week after having recorded a 65 today.
“I putted well for a change. I finished off solid with a birdie followed by an eagle at the 18th hole. I used a driver and a two iron on the last hole. I was 240 yards from the pin before a 12 foot putt for an eagle.
“In the first five or six events this season, I was still trying to come to terms with the environment but now I feel much more at home on the Asian Tour and my game is slowly falling into place,” said the Bangalore-based golfer, who is playing in his ninth event in Macau.
Birthday boy Blyth, who turned 27-years-old today, remained in contention this week after a 65 alongside England’s Ali who ended his round with a strong 64.
“It all fell into place today with solid driving and steady putting. It’s nice to be back in the mix again and I hope to keep it going over the weekend,” said Ali.
After a 72 in the opening round, China’s Zhang Lian-wei bounced back with a 67 and was in a tie for 39th place.
A total of 66 players made the weekend rounds.
TOP HALFWAY TOTALS
Par 142 (2 x 71)
128 David Gleeson (AUS) 64-64
133 Anirban Lahiri (IND) 68-65, Lin Wen-tang (TPE) 65-68, Adam Blyth (AUS) 68-65, Yasin Ali (ENG) 69-64
134 Rhys Davies (WAL) 66-68, Lin Wen-hong (TPE) 65-69, Wisut Artjanawat (THA) 65-69, Kao Bo-song (TPE) 66-68
135 Adam Groom (AUS) 70-65, Danny Chia (MAS) 67-68, Wang Ter-chang (TPE) 66-69, Angelo Que (PHI) 68-67, Darren Beck (AUS) 66-69, Jason King (AUS) 67-68
136 Tony Carolan (AUS) 67-69, Mitchell Brown (AUS) 70-66, Nakul Vichitryuthasastr (THA) 68-68, Chan Yih-shin (TPE) 69-67, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 67-69
137 Mars Pucay (PHI) 67-70, Somkiat Srisanga (THA) 69-68, Steven Tiley (ENG) 70-67, Neven Basic (AUS) 70-67, Mardan Mamat (SIN) 70-67, Chris Rodgers (ENG) 72-65, Udorn Duangdecha (THA) 65-72, Kim Nam-kang (KOR) 70-67