Rizal moves one stroke clear

KUCHING: Mohamad Rizal Amin moved into a one- stroke lead at the halfway stage of the PGM Tour’s Impian Closed Championship yesterday at the Impian Golf and Country Club in Kajang.

The 30-year- old from Perak carded a five-under 67 for a nineunder 135 total after the opening two rounds and it was the least he deserved. It was also a show of some good consistency as he went around in 68 on the first day.

Meanwhile, Dino Abdillah made his presence felt as he shot a near flawless six-under 66. That left him in second spot on 136 and on a good platform from which to post for his best finish on the Tour thus far.

With a top-15 as his top mark on the local circuit, Dino, if he can keep his game together, could well go all the way – although it will not be easy, not with all of the Tour’s top players in the field at this RM160,000 championship.

R Nachimuthu (68) and Hans Jamil (69) were tied for third on seven-under 137, while Wilson Choo (69), Kemarol Baharin (69) and Tan Chien Hau (70) were a stroke further back on 138.

The low round o f the tournament so far was registered by 23-year-old Kenneth De Silva. The Kuala Lumpur player shot a bogey- free eight- under 64 to climb into a tie for 14th on 141.

It was a massive turnaround for PGM Peak Performance Academy lad as it marked a 13shot swing on his first round, during which he managed a 77.

Speaking after that glowing display, he said he felt he was “playing too quick” in the first round and “slowed it down” today.

“I am really happy with how I performed today,” said De Silva. “I was playing too fast in the first round and slowed down my tempo today which made the difference.

“Hopefully I can carry on like this for the next two days, which would put me in a good position,” added the young man, who has a one and only victory on the Tour, a triumph in Sabah in 2012.

Riza l , too was pleased with his showing and said so afterwards.

“My putting was really good today and it helped me through to another good round,” he said.

Chasing a first win on Tour, Rizal said he was working hard on his game and fitness in recent months, and added that overall he was happy with where his game was.

“I’m hitting the ball solidly and have been concentrating on working on my putting, which has helped,” he said. “Now I have to keep my concentration up and just play my own game.”

Dino, for his part, also said he was trying to just keep focused on the job at hand.

“This is a strong field with a lot of good players and one needs to stay focused to do well. That is what I’m trying to do,” he added.