ISKANDAR JOHOR OPEN CUT TO 54 HOLES WITH CHOPRA 2 AHEAD

FROM THE ASIAN TOUR WEBSITE
Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Daniel Chopra of Sweden will defend a two-shot advantage over 17 holes after organisers reduced the Iskandar Johor Open to a 54-hole affair.
Chopra, a two-time US PGA Tour winner, was 13-under after playing the first hole before play was suspended at 3pm local time due to heavy downpour at the US$2 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
Title holder Padraig Harrington of Ireland, James Morrison of England and Frenchman Gregory Bourdy are on -11 after one hole at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club.
No players have finished their round, meaning a total of 72 players will return at 7.20am on Sunday to complete the third and final round.
Chopra, who won his first professional title at the 1993 Johor Open, predicts an exciting finale to the Iskandar Johor Open with a strong cast of players including three-time Major champion Harrington still in with a chance of winning.
“It will make it more exciting. It is going to be a bit more like a shootout because there are a number of people still in it with a chance to have a good round. It will be fun,” said Chopra, who grew up in India.
“Obviously, I would have loved to play. I did some work early in the morning and I felt good. I hit a couple of good shots starting of the round and then the rain came. It kills a bit of momentum but we can’t control the weather. I was mentally prepared for the weather delays,” the Swede added.
Jose-Maria Zamora, the European Tour Tournament Director of the Iskandar Johor Open, said the course was deemed unplayable which led to the suspension of play.
“The course became unplayable after the heavy rainfall we received this afternoon, with standing water on a number of the fairways. With that in mind, we had no choice but to suspend play for the day and, due to the disruptions we have already suffered, we have also taken the decision to reduce the tournament to 54 holes,” he said.

EARLIER REPORT

Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Title-holder Padraig Harrington of Ireland battled to a four-under-par 67 despite struggling with a stomach discomfort to trail second round leader Daniel Chopra of Sweden by two shots on Saturday in the Iskandar Johor Open. 

Harrington returned Saturday morning to complete nine holes for an 11-under-par 131 total that was matched by James Morrison of England and Gregory Bourdy of France at the US$2 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

A total of 70 players returned Saturday morning to complete the second round after play was suspended at 6.40pm (local time) on Friday.

Chopra, who finished the second round on Friday, aims to recapture the title he won way back in 1993 but will have to fend off the strong challenge from three-time Major champion Harrington at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club.

“I’ve actually been feeling a bit under the weather for the last 48 hours, so that break yesterday actually did me the world of good, because I was able to sleep for three hours. I’m not sure if it was something I ate, but I’ve been really struggling to sleep and I lost my appetite,” said Harrington.

“But I felt better after my sleep yesterday afternoon, and I felt better again this morning. I’ve been surviving on toast for the last two days, but hopefully I can get something down me now and maybe go for a little nap before the third round starts,” he added.

Harrington played nine holes on Friday before play was suspended due to darkness. He returned this morning with a pair of birdies from 11 and added two more birdies on holes 16 and 18 to stay within touching distance of Chopra.

“It was important to get as close to Daniel (Chopra) as I could, because we don’t know if there are 18 or 36 holes left to play. I was very aware of that coming down the last nine holes, and even on the last hole. The pin is very tight to the water but I decided to attack the flag with my pitch anyway, which maybe I wouldn’t have done if I knew for definite there was still 36 holes left to play,” he said.

Sddikur of Bangladesh, winner of the 2010 Brunei Open, is the highest ranked Asian in tied sixth place after posting a 67 on Friday for a 134 total to lie five shots off the lead.  

The halfway cut was set at two-under-par 140 with a total of 72 players making the cut.

LEADING SECOND-ROUND SCORES

Par 142 (2x71). Yardage 6783

129 - Daniel CHOPRA (SWE) 64-65.

131 - Padraig HARRINGTON (IRL) 64-67, James MORRISON (ENG) 66-65, Gregory BOURDY (FRA) 64-67.

133 - Joost LUITEN (NED) 63-70.

134 - SIDDIKUR (BAN) 67-67, Christian NILSSON (SWE) 67-67, Michael JONZON (SWE) 69-65, Jose Manuel LARA (ESP) 67-67, Marcus FRASER (AUS) 64-70.

135 - Soren HANSEN (DEN) 68-67, Rhys DAVIES (WAL) 70-65, Soren KJELDSEN (DEN) 71-64, Darren BECK (AUS) 70-65, Brett RUMFORD (AUS) 71-64, Manny VILLEGAS (COL) 72-63, Fredrik ANDERSSON HED (SWE) 68-67.

136 - Rikard KARLBERG (SWE) 70-66, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 65-71, Peter KARMIS (RSA) 70-66, Jamie McLEARY (SCO) 66-70, Marcel SIEM (GER) 69-67, Louis OOSTHUIZEN (RSA) 69-67, Michael HOEY (NIR) 69-67.

137 - Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 69-68, Steve WEBSTER (ENG) 69-68, Sam WALKER (ENG) 70-67, Anthony KIM (USA) 68-69, Guido VAN DER VALK (NED) 69-68, Danny WILLETT (ENG) 69-68, Richie RAMSAY (SCO) 68-69.

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