LUKE DONALD MISSES CUT IN MALAYSIAN OPEN

NEWS RELEASE FROM ASIAN TOUR

Kuala Lumpur, March 23: Thai rising star Kiradech Aphibarnrat is in position of erasing his defeat at the Maybank Malaysian Open three years ago when he pulled two shots clear with a four-under-par 68 in the second round on Saturday.

 

The big-hitting Thai known for his grip-it and rip-it style of golf which somewhat mirrors John Daly’s game, returned this morning to finish the second round after play was abandoned on Friday.

 

The halfway cut was set an even-par 144 with 73 players making the cut. World number three Luke Donald of England will not feature in the last two rounds after shooting a three-over-par 147.

 

Kiradech made eight straight pars when play was resumed at 7.45am at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club but kept a cool head on a rather steamy morning. He was rewarded for his patience with a birdie on 18 after hitting an exquisite approach to three feet.

 

“I enjoyed my game. I had to cool myself down out there because I only had my first birdie of the day on the last hole. It was a good finish. I tried to stay calm out there because of the heat. I need to save my energy,” said the 23-year-old, who totalled 11-under-par 133.

 

He holds a two-shot lead over former Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, Wade Ormsby of Australia, Gregory Bourdy of France and China’s Wu Ashun at the US$2.75 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

 

The memory of finishing third in 2010 after going into the last day as the joint leader is still fresh in his mind but Kiradech says he is more experienced now to seal the deal for a second Asian Tour win since 2011.

 

“I was very excited three years ago but I’ve learned a lot since then. I’m much older now and I learned a lot on the Asian Tour. I hope to finish better than 2010,” said Kiradech, who qualified for his first Open Championship debut through the International Final Qualifying – Asia earlier this month.

 

“I’ve been playing very well since the start of the year and my game has stayed up there. My iron and approach shots are better compared to last time. My driver isn’t working as well as I would like it to be so hopefully it will work in the last two days.”

 

The penultimate round will start at 1.15pm with the leading flight going off at 3.05pm which gives Kiradech time to rest and preserve energy. “I want to go back to the hotel and rest, take a shower and relax to save energy.”

In the steamy, strength-sapping temperatures (up in the 30s), World Number Three Luke Donald could only add a 73 to his opening 74 and on three over missed the cut by three shots.
It was the first cut in a regular European Tour event he had ever missed but he is not concerned this has damaged his prospects for next month’s Masters Tournament.
The Englishman was uncharacteristically out of form with the putter.
With the Masters Tournament just under three weeks away though, Donald is confident he can sharpen up in time as he goes in search of his first Major title.
“I’ve got a couple of weeks off to get ready for Augusta and I’ll obviously be very diligent in my preparation,” said the 35 year old. “I would have loved to go back home in form, but in golf you just never know.
“We’ve seen it many times before when people go into tournaments with very little form and win – including Majors. So you just have to keep plugging and hope it’s your turn.
“The greens here are very different from what I play on. They are a little slower than what I’m used to and I just didn’t adjust or adapt to them.
“I just couldn’t read them for the life of me. I’d think it was right to left and it went the other way. I got John (his caddie) to read a few too and we were seeing the same things.”
The two-time BMW PGA Championship winner is renowned for his brilliant short game, but he admits it needs a little work before he heads to Augusta National for the first Major of the season.
“The usual scoring clubs for me – from 100 yards and in – weren’t good enough,” Donald added. “It’s been a little bit that way the last few tournaments, but it’s something that never really worries me because I know they are my strengths.
“Tee to green I wasn’t that far off. But it’s the first time I’ve missed the cut in a regular European Tour event since I’ve been a pro. So I’m very disappointed for myself and disappointed for the fans who have come out to watch me.
“It would have been nice to play a couple more rounds and shown them a few birdies, which were few and far between this week unfortunately.”

SECOND ROUND COMPLETED

Par 144 (2x72) Yardage 6967 

133 - Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 65-68.

135 - WU Ashun (CHN) 67-68, Charl SCHWARTZEL (RSA) 67-68, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 70-65, Gregory BOURDY (FRA) 66-69.

136 - Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG) 70-66, Victor DUBUISSON (FRA) 67-69.

137 - S. Murthy (MAS) 67-70, Padraig HARRINGTON (IRL) 69-68, David HOWELL (ENG) 69-68, Edoardo MOLINARI (ITA) 66-71, Alexander NOREN (SWE) 69-68, Peter LAWRIE (IRL) 68-69.

138 - LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 70-68, Scott JAMIESON (SCO) 66-72, Lee SLATTERY (ENG) 68-70, LEE Sung (KOR) 68-70, Mark FOSTER (ENG) 69-69.

139 - Rafa CABRERA-BELLO (ESP) 72-67, Pablo LARRAZABAL (ESP) 69-70, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 68-71, Alastair FORSYTH (SCO) 69-70, Joonas GRANBERG (FIN) 71-68, Anders HANSEN (DEN) 66-73, Simon KHAN (ENG) 71-68.

140 - Matteo MANASSERO (ITA) 69-71, Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT) 71-69, Raphael JACQUELIN (FRA) 70-70, Jean GONNET (FRA) 70-70, Mikko ILONEN (FIN) 70-70, Joost LUITEN (NED) 69-71.

SELECTED SCORE
144 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 71 73 (T56)

MISSED THE CUT (144 and better qualified)
147 Luke Donald (England) 74 73, Simon Dyson (England) 75 72 (T90)
151 David Drysdale (Scotland) 79 72 (T127)    

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