Alan McLean leads by two in Platinum

Classic in South Africa

Glasgow-born Alan McLean, pictured, eagled the 17th on his way to a six-under-par 66 and a two-round total of 13-under to lead by two strokes after the second round of the R550,000 Platinum Classic at the 6,250-metre nine-hole (par 72 for 18) Mooinooi Golf Club course, South Africa.
The Scot's round – the fourth-best of the day behind a 64 by Alex Haindl and a pair of 65s by Darren Fichardt and Merrick Bremner – put him ahead of Titch Moore and Branden Grace after Moore went to 11-under with his 68 and Grace made 67 to add to his opening 66.
McLean had a putt for a 65 on the 18th that just missed: “It broke to the left, and I thought it would come from the left,” he said. “But I made a nice 20-foot putt for eagle on 17, so I suppose that balances things out.”
On the only nine-hole course on which the Sunshine Tour plays, McLean had the bizarre experience of finding the greens tougher on the opening nine than the homeward nine.
“It sounds silly, but once you’ve had a look at the greens, and you observe where your playing partners have hit it and how the ball breaks, the putts do seem a little easier on the homeward nine,” he maintained.
He started finding his feet on the seventh after had played the first six in one over. He then made five consecutive birdies around the turn, dropped on the par-three 13th, birdied the 14th, and then made his eagle.
“If I can shoot two or three under for the front side, I feel pretty comfortable bringing it in,” he said.
Moore completed his rain-interrupted first round early, and then went straight out again: “I played nicely today, but 11-under is probably going to be a couple behind,” he said.
Grace, like McLean and Moore, dropped two shots, and his meticulous game seems to be coming together ahead of the final round. His round had seven birdies, and he was able to get out of trouble on those occasions he found himself in it except for the bogeys on three and 16.
Two behind the pair in second was Fichardt, who also made two bogeys in his seven-under. He was joined by Jean Hugo, Michiel Bothma, Doug McGuigan and Teboho Sefatsa.
Defending champion Thomas Aiken was a further shot back on eight-under 136 for the tournament after his second-round 69.
With him was first-round leader Jbe’ Kruger, who was unable to match the pyrotechnics of his opening nine-under and went one-over in round two. Grant Muller was also on eight-under after his second-round 70.

Viking Classic start delayed another day

For the second straight day, the first round of this week's US PGA Tour event, the Viking Classic at Annandale Country Club, has been postponed. The course remains saturated.
Tournament officials will now try to get first round play under way at 8:20 am local time on Saturday. However, the forecast calls for a 100 percent chance of rain Friday afternoon and night with an accumulation of another 1-2 inches expected.
Viking Classic tournament director Randy Watkins said the decision to postpone for the second straight day was made due to the playability of the golf course. Even with a dry day on Thursday the course did not improve.
"There's no way you could hold a fair competition on the course as it is today for a lot of different reasons," Watkins said. "There's no firm footing. There's no dry spots. There's no way to find golf balls. There's some holes that are not playable and they're unlikely to be playable by the end of the day today with the weather forecast that we have."
Watkins said that any decision on whether to extend the tournament into next week, shorten it or cancel it altogether rests with US PGA Tour officials. He said every option is being discussed.
"The golf course playability is day by day thing," Watkins said. "If we get a bunch of rain, it won't be playable at all. Any time next week is probably unlikely. But that's still to be determined.
"We've discussed altering the golf course, changing par 4s to par 3s. Every possible scenario that you can imagine, and then there are extras, those that you can't possibly imagine -- we've discussed those. All of those are in place based on the forecast, but we are still hoping to make a start on Saturday."
The last time a round was postponed for two consecutive days was at the 2005 BellSouth Classic. The event was eventually reduced to 54 holes and completed on Monday with Phil Mickelson winning on the fourth hole of a five-way playoff.
The US PGA Tour schedule has an open date next week, although some Tour players are competing at the World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions in China. Matt Kuchar, who withdrew on Thursday, and Nathan Green are the only two players in the Viking Classic field entered next week.
The open date makes the possibility of a Monday or Tuesday finish a possibility -- depending on the condition of the golf course. The Viking Classic is the 15th Tour event this season to experience a suspension or delay. There have been five Monday finishes, most recently at the Turning Stone Resort Championship.
Three players have withdrawn from the Viking Classic since the postponement of round one on Thursday. Jeff Klauk was replaced by Dicky Pride, Omar Uresti took Kuchar's spot and Garrett Willis is in for George McNeill. The next alternate on the list is Paul Stankowski.

Fisher, Cabrera, Allenby and Kim contest

Volvo World Match-play semi-finals

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
England's Ross Fisher will take on Masters Tournament champion Angel Cabrera and American Anthony Kim will have a rematch with Australian Robert Allenby in the semi-finals of the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain.
Fisher beat India's Jeev Milkha Singh to top his group in the new format and so made it to the last four, just as he did in the World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play in Arizona in February.
Cabrera, runner-up to Ernie Els on the last staging of this event at Wentworth two years ago, ended the hopes of Rory McIlroy and Simon Dyson when he defeated Dyson by a massive seven hole margin.
Kim, meanwhile, produced one of the shots of his life, a 274yd three-wood to four feet on the final hole, to deny Scott Strange a place in the last four.
And with Allenby getting the win over Oliver Wilson that he needed to knock out the Englishman, he will face Kim three weeks after their Presidents Cup clash, which the American Ryder Cup star won by 5 and 3.
After that match Allenby was alleged to have made late-night drinking allegations about his 24-year-old opponent.
They have spoken since and are trying to put the matter to bed, but it was perhaps written in the stars that they would face each other again at the first available opportunity.
“I've played well the last three rounds, and I hope I can keep the form going for the weekend,” said Allenby.
“I've just taken it one match at a time and just tried to beat the opponent that I'm playing, and I've done a good job of that so far.
“I have an opportunity tomorrow to try and advance a little bit further. It doesn't matter who you go up against in this tournament, everyone is a tough gig. So you've just got to play your best golf and hopefully it's good enough. So far, it has been.”
Kim just smiled when told it was Allenby he would be taking on again.
After two wins on the opening day, Kim had to be beaten by four holes by Strange not to progress - and that was the situation with one to play.
But he then produced his killer finish and said afterwards: "It was a special shot for me. I haven't been able to swing that way and trust my swing - and I really had to trust it. It felt so good."
Fisher is a member at Wentworth but has made his debut in the championship on the very first occasion it has not been staged there.
"It would have been great to experience it there. But it's not, and this is a great venue," he said.
"There's a long way to go, but I am in there with a chance. It's also massive for The Race to Dubai."
He is currently seventh - but top four Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, McIlroy and Paul Casey all failed to make it through.
Fisher was not sure of his place, though, until the final hole of the day. He was two up on Singh - and when he saw on the leaderboard that Colombian Camilo Villegas had only halved with Westwood, he was safe.
It was a good job too - because he had just hit a wild second into the crowd and was waiting for a ruling after television coverage showed a spectator picking up the ball and then putting it down again.
Westwood beat Fisher and halved with Villegas, but his first-day defeat to Singh meant he finished only third in Group D.
McIlroy beat Dyson and Henrik Stenson, but his loss to Cabrera 24 hours earlier left him second to the Argentinian in Group C.
Allenby is the only unbeaten player left, but Cabrera beat McIlroy by five and Dyson by seven and - with two Majors to his name - is a serious threat.
“I played a spectacular round today, especially in the early afternoon, because in the morning things didn't go well for me,” he said.
“I was hitting very well off the tee and I was making good shots to the pins and I was making all of the putts, pretty much everything, when in the morning, I wasn't doing any good.
“I am very comfortable with my swing. I am very comfortable and very calm going into the semi-finals.”
TODAY'S RESULTS
(Seeding number in brackets; all matches of 18 holes duration).
Group A - Qualifier: Anthony Kim (US).
(8) Retief Goosen (SAf) bt (1) Paul Casey (Eng) 1 hole
(16) Scott Strange (Aus) bt (9) Anthony Kim (US) 3 holes
Group B - Qualifier: Robert Allenby.
(4) Sergio Garcia (Spa) bt (5) Martin Kaymer (Ger) 4 holes
(12) Robert Allenby (Aus) bt (13) Oliver Wilson (Eng) 2 holes
Group C - Qualifier: Angel Cabrera.
(3) Henrik Stenson (Swe) bt (11) Angel Cabrera (Arg) 2 holes
(6) Rory McIlroy (NIrl) bt (14) Simon Dyson (Eng) 2 holes
McIlroy bt Stenson 4 holes.
Cabrera bt Dyson 7 holes
Group D - Qualifier: Ross Fisher.
(2) Lee Westwood (Eng) bt (10) Ross Fisher (Eng) 2 holes
(7) Camilo Villegas (Col) bt (15) Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 3 holes
Westwood halved with Villegas.
Fisher bt Milkha Singh 1 hole

European Senior Tour invests in return to The Netherlands

The European Senior Tour will return to The Netherlands for the first time in nine years when The Royal Haagsche Golf and Country Club hosts the inaugural Van Lanschot Senior Open from July 9-11, 2010.
A three-year deal has been agreed between the Senior Tour and promoter This is Golf, which already organises the KLM Open on The European Tour and the ABN AMRO Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour.
The inaugural tournament will have a prize fund of €250,000. In a Pro-Am format, the professionals will play with an amateur partner for the opening two rounds, with the final round on Sunday, July 11 being contested by professionals only.

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR

Battle of the Brits set for final day in Italy

From Challenge Tour Press Officer Paul Symes
The final day of the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final is all set for a battle of the Brits, with Welshman Rhys Davies and Scotland’s Andrew McArthur occupying the top two places on the leaderboard.
After another day of high winds which made for equally high scoring at San Domenico Golf in Puglia, Italy, just five players in the 45-man field remained under par.
Davies leads on four under par 209 after a round of 69, despite a double bogey 6 on the first hole. The same fate befell McArthur, who staged a late rally to sign for a round of 70 which moved the Scot to three under par 210.
A round of 75 saw overnight leader Andrew Tampion of Australia drop back to third place on 211, one stroke ahead of Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka and Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, who enjoyed contrasting fortunes with respective rounds of 73 and 69.
Of the quintet it is perhaps Davies who will sleep the soundest tonight, having long since secured his European Tour card, courtesy of victories in Wales and Spain earlier in the season.
In contrast, 29th placed Kaleka, 21st placed McArthur and 39th placed Tampion will all be desperately hoping to claim enough of the €300,000 prize fund to secure their spots in the top 20 of the Rankings, while Whiteford will be seeking to consolidate his place in the top 15.
Davies said: “Perhaps I’m under less pressure to perform than some of the other guys around me, but there’s always a little bit of pressure if you’re playing in the last group on the final day of any event, let alone the Grand Final. So I’m sure I’ll be just as focused on winning as they are. "It’s great to win any event, but to win the Grand Final would be that little bit extra special. There’s a lot of guys up there in contention, and I’m sure the course and the weather will play a part again. So I’ll have to stay patient, but if I manage to do that I’m sure I’ll have a great chance.
“My game’s coming together and seems to be getting stronger all the time, which is great. I’m always trying to improve my game, and I’ll need to if I’m going to do well on The European Tour next season. But I’m not thinking about that just yet – there’s one round of the Challenge Tour season left, and my aim is to try to go as low as I possibly can and hopefully end the year with another win.”
McArthur’s mission is to try to erase the pain of previous seasons, having finished 22nd in the Rankings in both 2007 and 2008.
The Scot, who racked up four birdies in his last six holes, said: “It was a bit of a slog for the first 12 holes. I’d created a few birdie chances, but nothing seemed to drop. Then I missed a couple of greens with some calamitous mistakes, and all of a sudden I was three over for the round. But after my birdie at the 13th I had a quick look at the leaderboard, and I knew I was still in with a fighting chance as long as I kept it steady – and that’s exactly what I did.
“There’s obviously a lot on the line on the final day, for me and a lot of the other guys. I’m going to be trying to win to get into the top ten of the Rankings, whilst second or third would probably get me into the top 15, and if I play terribly I’ve got no chance of making it into the top 20.
"Then I’d have to go to the Qualifying School Final and try to earn my card that way but that’s probably even more pressurized, so there’s a lot riding on the final round. I’m sure I’ll be excited and nervous in equal measures, but hopefully all the practice I’ve been putting in will pay off and my game will hold together.
“I don’t know if it’s a help or hindrance, having come so close in previous years. I’m just going to try to keep it simple – it’s all about hitting fairways and greens, and then hopefully holing a few putts. I’ll know not to panic if I do drop a few shots, because I’ve been over par in all three rounds but have managed to get it back. A fast start would be great, but if my game doesn’t click into gear straight away, it’s not the end of the world.”
A top five finish would in all probability hand McArthur a European Tour card for the first time, potentially at the expense of the man directly above him in the Rankings Peter Gustafsson of Sweden, who started the day in a tie for third but fell seven places after his round of 75.
England’s James Morrison, who currently occupies 17th place in the Rankings, is also in danger of slipping out of the top 20 after he dropped back to tied 25th with a round of 74. Sion E Bebb, one place above Morrison in the Rankings, is another who will be staring nervously over his shoulder, having slipped back to 22nd place after a round of 78 which included a triple bogey seven at the 14th.
Home hero and Challenge Tour Number One Edoardo Molinari leapt back in contention with a round of 69 to take a share of seventh place on one over par. Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed, currently 32nd in the Rankings, shot the lowest round of the day – a 68 which included five birdies – to climb to sixth place on level par, raising the seemingly remote prospect of a late surge into the top 20.
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
209 R Davies (Wal) 71 69 69,
210 A McArthur (Sco) 70 70 70,
211 A Tampion (Aus) 70 66 75,
212 P Whiteford (Sco) 70 73 69, A Kaleka (Fra) 70 69 73,
213 F Andersson Hed (Swe) 72 73 68,
214 S Jeppesen (Swe) 72 71 71, E Molinari (Ita) 74 71 69, G Boyd (Eng) 72 73 69,
215 Å Nilsson (Swe) 75 71 69, P Gustafsson (Swe) 71 69 75, O Floren (Swe) 72 71 72, A Wagner (Arg) 74 72 69,
217 F Calmels (Fra) 71 74 72, J Guerrier (Fra) 70 75 72, C Gane (Eng) 70 75 72, A Butterfield (Eng) 70 74 73,
218 M Wiegele (Aut) 72 70 76, C Günther (Ger) 77 66 75, R Coles (Eng) 76 67 75, N Colsaerts (Bel) 76 72 70,
219 J Colomo (Esp) 74 71 74, A Hansen (Den) 72 72 75, S Bebb (Wal) 68 73 78,
220 J Morrison (Eng) 76 70 74, R Steiner (Aut) 75 72 73,
221 S Walker (Eng) 76 71 74,
222 E Ramsay (Sco) 77 73 72, M Zions (Aus) 75 72 75,
223 L James (Eng) 73 76 74,
224 J Lima (Por) 72 80 72, J Parry (Eng) 76 73 75,
225 S Manley (Wal) 71 80 74, J McLeary (Sco) 75 78 72, C Rodiles (Esp) 76 72 77,
226 F Fritsch (Ger) 77 79 70, R McEvoy (Eng) 78 72 76, J Quesne (Fra) 73 76 77, A Marshall (Eng) 71 78 77,
227 P Baker (Eng) 76 76 75,
228 L Gagli (Ita) 76 74 78,
230 G Paddison (Nzl) 80 72 78, A Gee (Eng) 77 78 75,
231 F Praegant (Aut) 77 74 80, M Tullo (Chi) 73 81 77

Born-again Blackmar shares lead with

Sluman in last event of US Seniors Tour

A week ago US Seniors Tour player Phil Blackmar wasn't sure he wanted to keep playing competitive golf. Now he's trying to win for the second straight week.
Four days after his first Champions Tour win, Blackmar shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday to share the first-round lead with Jeff Sluman in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
"Somebody jumped in my body last week ... I guess he's still there," said Blackmar, who had six birdies in a bogey-free round at Sonoma Golf Club, California. "I hope he stays there for another three days. I don't know who he is."
The 6ft 7in Blackmar was languishing in 57th place on the money list and needed a top-five finish in San Antonio to avoid having to go to qualifying school. He didn't like that prospect and was seriously considering retiring.
"I had already determined that if I didn't (finish strong) then I was not going to play anymore," said Blackmar, a three-time winner on the US PGA Tour who joined the Champions Tour late in 2007. "You can't qualify on a Monday and follow this tour around. It's just too hard."
Sluman birdied three of his first four holes on the back nine, eagled the par-5 16th then birdied 17 to move into a tie with Blackmar.
"I didn't feel very comfortable over the ball initially but I worked and stayed patient with my golf swing," Sluman said. "I got into a groove with the putter, which is really nice."
Eduardo Romero, the Toshiba Classic winner in March at Newport Beach, was a stroke back at 67, and John Cook and Brad Bryant opened with 68s.
Charles Schwab Cup points leader Loren Roberts had two eagles in a 70. Fred Funk, 165 points behind Roberts in second place in the race for the $1 million annuity, had a 71. Jay Haas, the 2008 points champion, also shot a 71, while Bernhard Langer, the only other player in contention for the points title, had a 72.
Langer is 348 points behind Roberts, and Haas is 602 back. The players will receive a point for every $500 earned, making a victory worth $442,000 and 884 points.
Langer leads the tour with four victories and $2,033,451. Roberts, a three-time winner, is second on the money list with $1,854,613.
Blackmar birdied Nos. 6 and 9 to make the turn at 2 under. After a birdie on the par-4 11th, he reached the 587-yard, par-5 13th in two before settling for a birdie. He then birdied the final two holes to extend his streak to 55 holes without a bogey.
Sluman countered an opening bogey with a birdie on the par-5 second, then had four birdies and an eagle while needing just 11 putts over the final nine holes.
"It just kind of clicked on the back," Sluman said. "Then you start being more aggressive and shooting at pins a little bit more."
The six-time PGA Tour winner won the Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach last month for his third career victory on the 50-and-over tour.
SCOREBOARD TO COME

Sherratt and Han Chang

-won share halfway lead


NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R&A
Shenzhen, China – Australia’s Jordan Sherratt and Han Chang-won of Korea share the 36-hole lead at the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship after finishing Day 2o at nine-under 135 at Mission Hills Golf Club’s World Cup Course in China.
Sherratt recorded an equal low round of the day of five-under 67 to take the clubhouse lead in the morning session, before being joined late in the day by Han, who added a 69 to his opening 66 yesterday.
The inaugural tournament offers an invitation to the 2010 Masters Tournament as a reward for the champion, with both the winner and the runner(s)-up earning places in International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship being played next year at St Andrews.
The leading duo head New Zealander Peter Spearman-Burn, who returned 68, by two shots with Mhark Fernando (71) from the Philippines alone in fourth one shot further back at six-under 138.
Three players share fifth, including India’s Rashid Khan, who has twice won the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills, Korean Song Tae-hoon and another Filipino, Antonio Asistio. A total of 60 players qualified for weekend play, with the cut coming at five-over 149.
Korea’s 21-year-old Han, who was one shot off the lead overnight, kept himself right in the hunt for the tournament’s grand prizes with his solid follow-up to yesterday’s seven-birdie round.
Four more birdies today were offset by a lone bogey at 17, allowing him the chance to add to Korea’s international golf heroics already in 2009, headed by Y. E. Yang winning Asia’s first Major at the US PGA Championship.
Said Han: “I am a calm and patient person and that helps me to play consistently. I didn’t play with any pressure today and I feel that will allow me to play my best game tomorrow and the day after.
“I have not had the chance to play with Y. E. Yang yet, but I really hope I can play with him one day. I respect him a lot. He is a great player and an inspiration for all Korean golfers,” added the individual champion from the 2009 Nomura Cup (Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship), which was played last month in Korea.
Sherratt, who won the prestigious Riversdale Cup earlier this year in Australia when he opened with a course-record 63, stumbled with a bogey at the first after missing a two-foot par putt.
However, the 21-year-old got the shot straight back with a birdie at the following hole, before picking up shots at six, eight and 11 and adding consecutive birdies on 13 and 14. A closing bogey was not able to stop the Adelaide, South Australia, resident from taking the clubhouse lead after the morning session.
Said Sherratt: “I have been playing really well over the last few days and putting well, which has helped me make birdies.
“I didn’t make the best start and missed a short putt to make a bogey on the first, but after that, it was very good. I was hitting greens and making putts and I made birdies on the par-fives, too, which helps your scoring.
“I am not really surprised by the strength of the field here (and the low scoring). There are a lot of good players in Asia and anyone can win if they were good enough to qualify for this event,” he added.
Overnight leader Han Ren of China endured a tough day, struggling to 78. However, local golf fans still have plenty of favourites to follow, with Huang Wenyi, who struck the first shot in Asian Amateur Championship history yesterday morning, and Hong Kong’s Steven Lam amongst those sharing eighth position.
For more information on the Asian Amateur Championship, including the latest news from Mission Hills, live scoring and a selection of video features, please visit http://www.asianamateurchampionship.com/.

SINGAPORE OPEN

Chopra leads as bad weather holds up Poulter,

Harrington rallies to beat halfway cut

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ASIAN TOUR
Sentosa, October 30: Sweden’s Daniel Chopra brilliantly charged into contention at the US$5 million Barclays Singapore O pen with a sizzling second round of six-under-par 65 on Friday.
The 35-year-old produced a flawless card which included six birdies at the Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course to hold the clubhouse lead on seven-under-par 135.
Overnight leader Ian Poulter of England was tied with Chopra on seven-under after shooting two birdies in three holes of his second round, which will resume at 7.40am on Saturday following another two-hour weather disruption today.
Poulter and American left-hander Phil Mickelson are among 91 players who have still to complete 36 holes.
Little-known Chan Yih-shin of Chinese Taipei, who qualified for the star-studded event on Monday, maintained his fairy-tale run by also tying for the lead after negotiating seven holes in three under. Only 61 players managed to complete round two on Friday.
Chinese ace Liang Wen-chong, the Asian Tour number one in 2007, battled into contention with a 68 to lie two back with Australia ’s Andrew Dodt, who also returned a 68.
Three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland showed why he is one of the best players in the world by staying on course to make the halfway cut after an inward 32 salvaged a round of 69 for a total of 143, eight off the pace pace.
Australian Adam Scott, a two-time winner of the Barclays Singapore O pen , was also on 143 after shooting a 71.
After securing three top-10s on the US PGA Tour this season where he is a two-time winner, Chopra is determined to end his year on a strong note by winning Asia ’s richest national O pen , which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour for the first time this week.
“This year of all my years since going to America , I feel I have under-achieved the most. This is the best I have felt about my game in a long time. It is just a matter of getting a few breaks and getting some momentum going,” said Chopra.
Chopra, who is of Swedish-Indian parentage, played 27 holes today following the disruptions on the open ing day and produced a wonderful ball striking display to set up his birdie chances.
“I am very happy. I started out yesterday edgy with all the delays but came out today feeling better. I am just trying to get used to the greens. I missed a few short ones. But it is getting better,” he said.
Liang was delighted to move into the title hunt as his biggest career victory came at the Singapore Masters two years ago en route to becoming China ’s first Asian number one. His only blemishes where two bogeys on the par threes but he made up for it with five birdies as he outscored playing partner Harrington.
“I was happy with my round today except for a couple of par threes. My body movement caused my tee shots to go to the right and it was hard to recover from there. I am swinging well overall but I have to work on my putting,” said Liang, who played 26 holes today.
“I like playing in Singapore . The events here, the (former) Singapore Masters and the Barclays Singapore O pen , are big events. These tournaments give me the opportunity to play against the best players in the world and I get inspired by that. It also gives me extra motivation.
“I believe I have the right frame of mind to cope with being one of the top Asians in the field this week.”
With his parents leading the cheering squad, Dodt, playing in his second season in Asia , rose to the occasion in style. He double bogeyed his third but came back strongly with four birdies on the bounce from the fifth hole to end the day two back.
“I wasn’t trying to look at the leaderboard too much and wanted to play it one shot at a time and I managed that pretty well. I holed a lot of putts so far. I guess you start to belong more out there and if you have a few good results, people start to take notice a bit more. I’m just here to let my clubs do the talking,” he added.
American world number two Phil Mickelson could only manage to play four holes of his second round when play was sus pen ded at 6.37pm. He dropped one shot to fall back to one-under for the championship.
Three-time Major winner Ernie Els of South Africa was even par through three holes to remain on four-under.

Padraig Harrington is usually accustomed to contending for titles but a messy bogey stirred his fighting spirit as the Irishman struggled to make the cut.
Harrington finished second at the £3 million event a year ago but found himself three strokes outside the projected cut of two-over par halfway through his second round after finding the water on his approach to the par-five 18th (his ninth).
Angered by his poor judgment, the three-times Major winner battled back to record four birdies on a bogey-free back nine to ensure he would be around for the weekend of an event that has suffered two lengthy weather delays in as many days.
"I was worried about missing the cut before I found the water, it was just a bad shot," Harrington said after closing with a two-under 69 to sit eight strokes behind leader Daniel Chopra.
"That was just a bad shot. I was thinking about going for the green and didn't really pay attention to the lay-up.
"At the time, it seemed like a big mistake that cost me two shots but it did motivate me. Who knows, maybe hitting it in the water made me make those four birdies coming home."
Harrington struggled to find his form around the tight par-71 Serapong Course hosting the co-sanctioned tournament and a vital par save after the turn seemed to instigate his recovery from an almost hopeless position.
"The first 27 holes I wasn't comfortable with my game, made a few mistakes, didn't get any breaks, didn't make anything happen, didn't hole the putts and it was all going away from me," he added.
"I hit a poor shot into the first hole (his 10th) and chipped it to eight feet and holed that to stop going six over and all of a sudden I felt good about things.
"I played nicely coming in -- hit a lot of nice shots and had conservative two putts on the last couple of greens and then, gee whiz, it all looks quite easy all of a sudden."
Despite completing the task of making it to the weekend, Harrington feels a victory maybe just a step too far but will continue to plug away in the hope of getting close to the leaders.
"I was actually thinking that if I could have picked up another couple of shots then I would have had a chance to catch the leaders in the third round," Harrington said.
"Two shots isn't that much but it will probably take a couple of 65s at the weekend to get close.
"It's possible and if I keep playing the way that I did on my back nine today then I could definitely shoot two low numbers."
LEADING COMPLETED SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
135 - Daniel Chopra (SWE) 70-65
137 - Andrew Dodt (AUS) 69-68, Liang Wen-chong (CHN) 69-68
138 - Scott Hend (AUS) 72-66, Gaganjeet Bhullar ( IND ) 71-67, Ross McGowan (ENG) 69-69
139 - Richard Finch (ENG) 71-68
140 - Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 72-68, James Kingston (RSA) 74-66, Chapchai Nirat (THA) 73-67
141 - Felipe Aguilar (CHI) 68-73, Rodney Pampling (AUS) 72-69, Richard Green (AUS) 68-73, Tony Carolan (AUS) 74-67, Daniel Vancsik (ARG) 70-71
142 - Tano Goya (ARG) 74-68, Darren Clarke (NIR) 73-69, Oskar Henningsson (SWE) 69-73, Soren Hansen (DEN) 71-71
143 - Zaw Moe (MYN) 71-72, Guido Van Der Valk (NED) 72-71, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 74-69, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 71-72, Christian Cevaer (FRA) 71-72, Adam Scott (AUS) 72-71, Steve Webster (ENG) 71-72, Kenneth Ferrie (ENG) 71-72

Note: 61 players completed the second round, with 91 players to resume their rounds at 7.40am on Saturday. Round three will not start earlier than 1pm.

Scots well beaten by French in Mougins friendly France beat Scotland 18 1/2-5 1/2 in a two-day friendly men's amateur golf match at Mougins. The first day's play of foursomes and singles at Cannes Mougins Golf Club saw France established an overwhelming 10-2 lead. The second day at Royal Mougins Golf Club ended 8 1/2-3 1/2 in favour of the French. This was the first match Scotland had had since leading players Gavin Dear, Wallace Booth, Paul O'Hara and Keir McNicoll turned professional

Russell Knox won $95,252 on Hooters Tour

Florida-based Russell Knox from Inverness finished the 2009 NGA Hooters Tour season in America as the third highest money-winner on the satellite circuit.
Russell won $95,252 from 12 events in which he missed the cut twice but finished in the money in the 10 others. He had one win, which earned him $35,566, four top-five and seven top-11 finishes.