STAYING ALIVE
Gavin lives to fight another day
AS the ambassador for the title sponsor, not making the cut for the weekend wouldn’t have been good for Gavin Green. And the Malaysian No 1 lives to fight another day in the US$3 million Maybank Championship at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.
But it was a close shave in the second round yesterday as Green stayed clear of danger by one stroke to make the cut.
The 25-year-old played two-under for a total of two-under-par 144 tied 53 spot as his morning session from the 10th tee paid off with three birdies in the front and only one bogey on the back nine.
“I need to make some putts, I’m struggling to make putts. I don’t know why because I’ve been struggling for the past couple of weeks.
Green wasn’t the only Malaysian who survived the cut as Nicholas Fung’s first round score saved him after he fumbled in the back nine with three bogeys yesterday.
The 29-year-old said the pin placements got the better of his game as he carded a one-over.
“The pin placement (yesterday) really made it tough and I guess it’s because they don’t want the scores to go low.
“If you compared both rounds, I was hitting better than the first round but today I could have saved my putts but I’m hitting more on the green regulations but that’s why I couldn’t go as low,” said Nicholas who finished tied 22.
However, the other Malaysian professionals fell victim at Saujana’s “Cobra”. Eliminated were Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Jeremiah Kim, Ben Leong, R. Nachimuthu, Arie Irawan, Sukree Othman, Kemarol Baharin, Danny Chia, Kenneth de Silva, Wilson Choo and Amir Nazrin.
Belgium's Thomas Pieters will go into the third round today as the overnight leader with a slim one-shot lead.
Pieters, 27, shot four birdies and one bogey yesterday for a three-under 69 for an eight-under 136 after two rounds.
First round joint leader, Nacho Elvira of Spain and Indonesia's Danny Masrin came in second with a two-round total of sevenunder-par 137.