Gavin out to raise the bar after Major step forward at Carnoustie

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian golfer Gavin Kyle Green is ready to raise the bar after making the cut at the 147th British Open as he bids to finish his Major debut with a flourish.

The 24- year- old overcame a nerve- wracking second round with a battling two-over 73 as he finished just above the cut line set at three-over 145 at the Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland on Friday.

Gavin made two late bogeys – at the 15th and 18th holes – but it was still enough for him to join 78 other golfers advancing into the weekend in joint 65th spot.

“I was really nervous coming down the stretch. The last few holes were tough ... I was just trying to keep it on the fairways and the greens,” said Gavin, who mixed two birdies with four bogeys.

“I did that all the way till the 18th and had like a 15 to 20 feet (to putt) for par. I was trying to find out what the cut was. Thankfully it was three-over and I made the bogey putt.”

Gavin was happy with his display at the halfway stage, especially the way he handled himself during the crucial moments.

“Making the cut in my first Major, obviously I’m really happy. I’m happy with the way I coped with myself,” said Gavin.

“I kind of know what to do and I knew I can’t push it too much. It’s been a long time since I last felt so nervous coming down the stretch but I liked the challenge.”

A pumped-up Gavin now hopes to stamp his mark in the last 36 holes after getting familiar with the Carnoustie set-up.

“My first expectation is to make the cut but now I will try to go as low as possible over the weekend,” said Gavin.

“It’s pretty scorable if you’re on the fairways but if you’re not, it will punish you quite bad so it’s very important to keep to the same game plan and hopefully make more putts,” he explained.

Gavin will aim to better Danny Chia’s 55th place outing in the 2010 edition, then held at St Andrews.

American duo Zach Johnson and Kevin Kisner shared the lead at the halfway stage on six-under 136, one shot ahead of England’s Tommy Fleetwood, CIMB Classic champion Pat Perez and Xander Schauffele of the United States.