WESTWOOD, CANIZARES SHARE MALAYSIAN OPEN
LEAD AT HALFWAY
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Lee Westwood maintained a familiar position at the top of the Maybank Malaysian Open leaderboard with a five under par 67 in the second round for a halfway total of 13-under 133, but he has Alejandro Cañizares for company after the Spaniard birdied the last for a 65 and a share of the lead on 133.
The 41 year old Englishman has now led or co-led for the last six rounds at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, having completed a wire-to-wire victory in this event last season, and his strong affinity with the venue continued as he notched six birdies and a bogey.
A birdie from 18 feet on the last put him three clear at 11 under par, but Cañizares reeled him by birdieing three of his last four holes, a fine finish to a flawless round that featured seven birdies.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger continued his fine form following three consecutive top six finishes in the Middle East prior to this event, carding a 66 to lie third, three strokes back from the leading duo.
Irishman Peter Lawrie, playing on a sponsor’s invite, had a welcome 66 to share third place with England’s Paul Waring (68), but it was a day to forget for Graeme McDowell, Westwood’s first round co-leader, who signed for a 73 to slip back to eighth place, six shots off the pace.
Grégory Bourdy of France provided one of the highlights of the second round by acing the 15th – his second hole-in-one of the week after doing the same on the eighth hole in Tuesday’s Pro-Am.
Quotes
Lee Westwood
“I played nicely again. It was pretty solid again and I probably only hit one poor shot all day, from the middle of the fairway on the fifth hole. I was going in with a five iron and blocked it right into the water. I was trying not to pull it left and just slid into it a little bit and ended up making six when I should have made four. But other than that it was very good and I felt very comfortable out there. I hit a lot of fairways and some good iron shots and made some nice putts. It was great to birdie two of the last three.
“I thought the course played really well. The greens were great, considering it was the afternoon. If you started it on line the ball rolled very nicely. They’re not spiky at all. The whole golf course is excellent. Considering how many tournaments are played here, they do a brilliant job getting it in shape every time.”
Alejandro Cañizares
“It was a lot of fun. I played really well. I wasn’t so good off the tee today, but I putted really well. I made some great up-and-downs when I missed a shot, and I’m very happy overall. I can’t wait for the weekend, it’ll be a lot of fun. It was tough to keep your concentration today because of the weather, but luckily some clouds came over and it wasn’t as hot as it is when the sun is on you. The course is playing nicely and the greens are rolling very well. It’s a great track and a very nice tournament.”
Bernd Wiesbeger
“I finished really well. I holed a long curling putt on the sixth, which was my 15th, and I hit it really close on the last two. I felt comfortable out there and it was much better today. I wasn’t at my best yesterday. Mentally I was a bit tired and not in the zone like I’ve been the past few weeks. But today felt good again. I’m trying not to think too much about it; just let it happen. Sometimes you get in a groove and play well and things happen for you, and I just hope it lasts a long time.”
Peter Lawrie
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been in the doldrums for the past 20-odd months. It’s been difficult. I’ve struggled with a lot of swing changes and confidence, but my confidence is coming back and I can see the ball going in the hole, so it bodes well for the rest of the year. I’m delighted to be here and very lucky to have received a sponsor’s invite, so I thank Maybank for that. To shoot 66 today was wonderful.”
SECOND-ROUND SCORES
Par 144 (2x72)
74 players made the cut on 146 (+2)
133 L Westwood (Eng) 66 67, A Cañizares (Esp) 68 65
136 B Wiesberger (Aut) 70 66
137 P Waring (Eng) 69 68, P Lawrie (Irl) 71 66
138 R Lee (Can) 69 69, R Bland (Eng) 68 70
139 G McDowell (NIr) 66 73
140 A Sullivan (Eng) 70 70, J Higginbottom (Aus) 69 71, J Pagunsan (Phi) 71 69, R Rock (Eng) 70 70, P Meesawat (Tha) 68 72, G Bourdy (Fra) 70 70, A Quiros (Esp) 70 70
141 S Kang (SKor) 67 74, P Peterson (USA) 72 69, D Chia (Mas) 67 74, M Warren (Sco) 70 71, M Fraser (Aus) 72 69
142 M Madsen (Den) 72 70, A Lahiri (Ind) 70 72, H Otto (RSA) 73 69, W Ormsby (Aus) 73 69, P Larrazábal (Esp) 73 69, N Fung (Mas) 71 71, A Dodt (Aus) 69 73, G Green (am) (Mas) 74 68
143 R Wattel (Fra) 70 73, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 72, J Quesne (Fra) 71 72, T Khrongpha (Tha) 74 69, S Kapur (Ind) 72 71, E Grillo (Arg) 70 73, S Chawrasia (Ind) 76 67, J Carlsson (Swe) 74 69, N Holman (Aus) 72 71, M Jiménez (Esp) 72 71, J Wang (SKor) 77 66, R Jacquelin (Fra) 71 72
144 C Plaphol (Tha) 76 68, M Foster (Eng) 71 73, F Aguilar (Chi) 70 74, P Uihlein (USA) 72 72, A Hansen (Den) 68 76, N Colsaerts (Bel) 70 74, L Wei-Chih (Tpe) 77 67, A Que (Phi) 72 72, S Brazel (Aus) 73 71, G Havret (Fra) 72 72, S Othman (Mas) 73 71, C Pigem (Esp) 73 71
145 P McGinley (Irl) 69 76, T Jaidee (Tha) 72 73, S Jamieson (Sco) 73 72, M Hoey (Nir) 75 70, D Lipsky (USA) 72 73, R Nachimuthu (Mas) 73 72, H Chien-Yao (Tpe) 75 70, S Hend (Aus) 73 72, E Molinari (Ita) 72 73, M Lundberg (Swe) 71 74, S Dyson (Eng) 72 73
146 T Pieters (Bel) 73 73, T Fleetwood (Eng) 67 79, R Khan (Ind) 73 73, L Wen-Chong (Chn) 74 72, A Lascuna (Phi) 74 72, S Gallacher (Sco) 69 77, J Janewattananond (Tha) 77 69, R Karlsson (Swe) 70 76, O Fisher (Eng) 73 73, R Finch (Eng) 73 73, M Tabuena (Phi) 74 72
147 S Rahman (Ban) 77 70, J Colomo (Esp) 73 74, L Bjerregaard (Den) 72 75, A Vongvanij (Tha) 72 75, C Phadungsil (Tha) 71 76, D Howell (Eng) 73 74, J Singh (Ind) 73 74, T Aiken (RSA) 76 71, A Kang (USA) 75 72, M Mamat (Sin) 76 71, U Park (Aus) 73 74, G Stal (Fra) 72 75, O Wilson (Eng) 73 74, J Kruger (RSA) 76 71,
148 J Knutzon (USA) 75 73, P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 77 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 73 75, R Gangjee (Ind) 77 71, R Karlberg (Swe) 73 75, D McGrane (Irl) 75 73, J Randhawa (Ind) 76 72, S Barr (Aus) 70 78, J Morrison (Eng) 73 75, K Kheng Hwai (Mas) 75 73, F Zanotti (Par) 74 74, K Broberg (Swe) 72 76, K Pratt (Aus) 74 74, S Yates (Sco) 74 74,
149 R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 76 73, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 80 69, A Zahari (Mas) 74 75, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 77 72, Y Wei-Tze (Tpe) 75 74, A Irawan (Mas) 76 73, P Hedblom (Swe) 73 76, G Storm (Eng) 77 72, M Manassero (Ita) 75 74, S Lewton (Eng) 76 73, S Muda (Mas) 77 72, T Hatton (Eng) 75 74
150 K Richardson (Aus) 78 72, P Marksaeng (Tha) 74 76, M Jamil (Mas) 70 80, S Sivachandran (Mas) 74 76, B Easton (RSA) 73 77, D Abd Aziz (am) (Mas) 76 74, G Green (am) (Mas) 76 74
151 A Groom (Aus) 75 76, W Choo (Mas) 76 75, A Atwal (Ind) 76 75, G Bhullar (Ind) 74 77, H Jamil (Mas) 79 72, M Kawamura (Jpn) 76 75, M Crespi (Ita) 76 75
152 S Khan (Eng) 78 74, T Wiratchant (Tha) 79 73, N Tantipokhakul (Tha) 78 74
153 B Leong (Mas) 81 72, Y Yang (SKor) 78 75, S Hussin (Mas) 78 75
154 K Baharin (Mas) 76 78, M Perera (Sri) 76 78, A Da Silva (Bra) 78 76
155 A Forsyth (Sco) 77 78, P Pittayarat (Tha) 79 76, G Charoenkul (Tha) 76 79, T Olesen (Den) 78 77
156 R Wannasrichan (Tha) 80 76
157 S Baek (Kor) 76 81, M Both (Aus) 80 77
158 D Brooks (Eng) 77 81
159 L Yu Shuen (Mas) 84 75, S Supupramai (Tha) 80 79, B Henson (USA) 79 80, L Weber (Fra) 83 76, R Amin (Mas) 83 76
160 S Yasin (Mas) 80 80, J Jeong (SKor) 78 82,
161 C Tuck-Soon (Mas) 81 80
** C Nirat (Tha) 75 RT, E Pepperell (Eng) 79 WD, D Willett (Eng) RT 0,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
LEAD AT HALFWAY
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Lee Westwood maintained a familiar position at the top of the Maybank Malaysian Open leaderboard with a five under par 67 in the second round for a halfway total of 13-under 133, but he has Alejandro Cañizares for company after the Spaniard birdied the last for a 65 and a share of the lead on 133.
The 41 year old Englishman has now led or co-led for the last six rounds at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, having completed a wire-to-wire victory in this event last season, and his strong affinity with the venue continued as he notched six birdies and a bogey.
A birdie from 18 feet on the last put him three clear at 11 under par, but Cañizares reeled him by birdieing three of his last four holes, a fine finish to a flawless round that featured seven birdies.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger continued his fine form following three consecutive top six finishes in the Middle East prior to this event, carding a 66 to lie third, three strokes back from the leading duo.
Irishman Peter Lawrie, playing on a sponsor’s invite, had a welcome 66 to share third place with England’s Paul Waring (68), but it was a day to forget for Graeme McDowell, Westwood’s first round co-leader, who signed for a 73 to slip back to eighth place, six shots off the pace.
Grégory Bourdy of France provided one of the highlights of the second round by acing the 15th – his second hole-in-one of the week after doing the same on the eighth hole in Tuesday’s Pro-Am.
Quotes
Lee Westwood
“I played nicely again. It was pretty solid again and I probably only hit one poor shot all day, from the middle of the fairway on the fifth hole. I was going in with a five iron and blocked it right into the water. I was trying not to pull it left and just slid into it a little bit and ended up making six when I should have made four. But other than that it was very good and I felt very comfortable out there. I hit a lot of fairways and some good iron shots and made some nice putts. It was great to birdie two of the last three.
“I thought the course played really well. The greens were great, considering it was the afternoon. If you started it on line the ball rolled very nicely. They’re not spiky at all. The whole golf course is excellent. Considering how many tournaments are played here, they do a brilliant job getting it in shape every time.”
Alejandro Cañizares
“It was a lot of fun. I played really well. I wasn’t so good off the tee today, but I putted really well. I made some great up-and-downs when I missed a shot, and I’m very happy overall. I can’t wait for the weekend, it’ll be a lot of fun. It was tough to keep your concentration today because of the weather, but luckily some clouds came over and it wasn’t as hot as it is when the sun is on you. The course is playing nicely and the greens are rolling very well. It’s a great track and a very nice tournament.”
Bernd Wiesbeger
“I finished really well. I holed a long curling putt on the sixth, which was my 15th, and I hit it really close on the last two. I felt comfortable out there and it was much better today. I wasn’t at my best yesterday. Mentally I was a bit tired and not in the zone like I’ve been the past few weeks. But today felt good again. I’m trying not to think too much about it; just let it happen. Sometimes you get in a groove and play well and things happen for you, and I just hope it lasts a long time.”
Peter Lawrie
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been in the doldrums for the past 20-odd months. It’s been difficult. I’ve struggled with a lot of swing changes and confidence, but my confidence is coming back and I can see the ball going in the hole, so it bodes well for the rest of the year. I’m delighted to be here and very lucky to have received a sponsor’s invite, so I thank Maybank for that. To shoot 66 today was wonderful.”
SECOND-ROUND SCORES
Par 144 (2x72)
74 players made the cut on 146 (+2)
133 L Westwood (Eng) 66 67, A Cañizares (Esp) 68 65
136 B Wiesberger (Aut) 70 66
137 P Waring (Eng) 69 68, P Lawrie (Irl) 71 66
138 R Lee (Can) 69 69, R Bland (Eng) 68 70
139 G McDowell (NIr) 66 73
140 A Sullivan (Eng) 70 70, J Higginbottom (Aus) 69 71, J Pagunsan (Phi) 71 69, R Rock (Eng) 70 70, P Meesawat (Tha) 68 72, G Bourdy (Fra) 70 70, A Quiros (Esp) 70 70
141 S Kang (SKor) 67 74, P Peterson (USA) 72 69, D Chia (Mas) 67 74, M Warren (Sco) 70 71, M Fraser (Aus) 72 69
142 M Madsen (Den) 72 70, A Lahiri (Ind) 70 72, H Otto (RSA) 73 69, W Ormsby (Aus) 73 69, P Larrazábal (Esp) 73 69, N Fung (Mas) 71 71, A Dodt (Aus) 69 73, G Green (am) (Mas) 74 68
143 R Wattel (Fra) 70 73, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 72, J Quesne (Fra) 71 72, T Khrongpha (Tha) 74 69, S Kapur (Ind) 72 71, E Grillo (Arg) 70 73, S Chawrasia (Ind) 76 67, J Carlsson (Swe) 74 69, N Holman (Aus) 72 71, M Jiménez (Esp) 72 71, J Wang (SKor) 77 66, R Jacquelin (Fra) 71 72
144 C Plaphol (Tha) 76 68, M Foster (Eng) 71 73, F Aguilar (Chi) 70 74, P Uihlein (USA) 72 72, A Hansen (Den) 68 76, N Colsaerts (Bel) 70 74, L Wei-Chih (Tpe) 77 67, A Que (Phi) 72 72, S Brazel (Aus) 73 71, G Havret (Fra) 72 72, S Othman (Mas) 73 71, C Pigem (Esp) 73 71
145 P McGinley (Irl) 69 76, T Jaidee (Tha) 72 73, S Jamieson (Sco) 73 72, M Hoey (Nir) 75 70, D Lipsky (USA) 72 73, R Nachimuthu (Mas) 73 72, H Chien-Yao (Tpe) 75 70, S Hend (Aus) 73 72, E Molinari (Ita) 72 73, M Lundberg (Swe) 71 74, S Dyson (Eng) 72 73
146 T Pieters (Bel) 73 73, T Fleetwood (Eng) 67 79, R Khan (Ind) 73 73, L Wen-Chong (Chn) 74 72, A Lascuna (Phi) 74 72, S Gallacher (Sco) 69 77, J Janewattananond (Tha) 77 69, R Karlsson (Swe) 70 76, O Fisher (Eng) 73 73, R Finch (Eng) 73 73, M Tabuena (Phi) 74 72
147 S Rahman (Ban) 77 70, J Colomo (Esp) 73 74, L Bjerregaard (Den) 72 75, A Vongvanij (Tha) 72 75, C Phadungsil (Tha) 71 76, D Howell (Eng) 73 74, J Singh (Ind) 73 74, T Aiken (RSA) 76 71, A Kang (USA) 75 72, M Mamat (Sin) 76 71, U Park (Aus) 73 74, G Stal (Fra) 72 75, O Wilson (Eng) 73 74, J Kruger (RSA) 76 71,
148 J Knutzon (USA) 75 73, P Junhasavasdikul (Tha) 77 71, M Baldwin (Eng) 73 75, R Gangjee (Ind) 77 71, R Karlberg (Swe) 73 75, D McGrane (Irl) 75 73, J Randhawa (Ind) 76 72, S Barr (Aus) 70 78, J Morrison (Eng) 73 75, K Kheng Hwai (Mas) 75 73, F Zanotti (Par) 74 74, K Broberg (Swe) 72 76, K Pratt (Aus) 74 74, S Yates (Sco) 74 74,
149 R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 76 73, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 80 69, A Zahari (Mas) 74 75, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 77 72, Y Wei-Tze (Tpe) 75 74, A Irawan (Mas) 76 73, P Hedblom (Swe) 73 76, G Storm (Eng) 77 72, M Manassero (Ita) 75 74, S Lewton (Eng) 76 73, S Muda (Mas) 77 72, T Hatton (Eng) 75 74
150 K Richardson (Aus) 78 72, P Marksaeng (Tha) 74 76, M Jamil (Mas) 70 80, S Sivachandran (Mas) 74 76, B Easton (RSA) 73 77, D Abd Aziz (am) (Mas) 76 74, G Green (am) (Mas) 76 74
151 A Groom (Aus) 75 76, W Choo (Mas) 76 75, A Atwal (Ind) 76 75, G Bhullar (Ind) 74 77, H Jamil (Mas) 79 72, M Kawamura (Jpn) 76 75, M Crespi (Ita) 76 75
152 S Khan (Eng) 78 74, T Wiratchant (Tha) 79 73, N Tantipokhakul (Tha) 78 74
153 B Leong (Mas) 81 72, Y Yang (SKor) 78 75, S Hussin (Mas) 78 75
154 K Baharin (Mas) 76 78, M Perera (Sri) 76 78, A Da Silva (Bra) 78 76
155 A Forsyth (Sco) 77 78, P Pittayarat (Tha) 79 76, G Charoenkul (Tha) 76 79, T Olesen (Den) 78 77
156 R Wannasrichan (Tha) 80 76
157 S Baek (Kor) 76 81, M Both (Aus) 80 77
158 D Brooks (Eng) 77 81
159 L Yu Shuen (Mas) 84 75, S Supupramai (Tha) 80 79, B Henson (USA) 79 80, L Weber (Fra) 83 76, R Amin (Mas) 83 76
160 S Yasin (Mas) 80 80, J Jeong (SKor) 78 82,
161 C Tuck-Soon (Mas) 81 80
** C Nirat (Tha) 75 RT, E Pepperell (Eng) 79 WD, D Willett (Eng) RT 0,
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, February 06, 2015
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