Singapore, Nov 7 (NationPress) India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu added a 3-under 69 to his first round 70 at the ongoing Moutai Singapore Open, successfully making the cut with a total of 5-under 139 at the Singapore Island Country Club on Friday. Sandhu had a strong start, beginning from the back nine of the course and achieving three birdies in his first nine holes. However, he couldn't maintain the momentum on his back nine, finishing T50 at the halfway mark in the US$2 million event.

Meanwhile, Soomin Lee seized the lead at the halfway point after scoring birdies on the last two holes, bringing back memories of his previous successes on the New Course at Singapore Island Country Club just 14 years ago.

The Korean golfer shot a remarkable second-round eight-under-par 64, reaching 12-under for a two-shot lead over a group of ten players, including Kevin Yuan (64), Matthew Cheung (64), Ian Snyman (65), Wang Wei-hsuan (66), John Catlin (66), Sarit Suwannarut (66), James Piot (66), Caleb Surratt (68), Ollie Schniederjans (68), and Jeunghun Wang (70). Yosuke Asaji and Tomoyo Ikemura from Japan also made the cut, with Asaji scoring two-under 70 for a total of seven-under, while Ikemura posted a four-under 68 to stand at six-under heading into the weekend.

This year marks the event's return since 2022, serving as the penultimate stop on The International Series—a series of high-profile events on the Asian Tour that offer a pathway to the LIV Golf League.

Interestingly, Lee had shot a 64 here in 2011, finishing second in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, behind Hideki Matsuyama, the former Masters champion from Japan, who won for the second consecutive year. “I have great memories here, no doubt,” said Lee. “This is why I feel comfortable and play with more confidence when I return.”

Although the New Course has undergone redesign, it didn't hinder him as he carded nine birdies, including four in a row starting from the third, with one bogey. That bogey came on the second hole, but he quickly followed it with four birdies.

“I started off slowly but recovered. Yesterday, I felt really good with my putter. I knew that by hitting fairways and greens, I could create chances today. That's why I performed well,” he mentioned. The penultimate hole is a reachable par-four, while the par-five 18th is also attainable in two.

“I believe holes 17 and 18 are relatively easy,” he explained. “With a good driver, I can reach the green on 17, as I did today. For 18, I just missed it in two and managed to get up and down for a four,” he added.

At 32, Lee turned professional three years after the Asia-Pacific Amateur and has previously won once on the DP World Tour at the 2016 Shenzhen International and is a five-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour.

He has been competing on the Asian Tour for a decade, finishing second twice. Recently, he achieved a top-10 finish at the International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus, which helped him rise to 72nd position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, putting him back in contention to secure his tour card for next year.

This issue will soon be resolved. The current Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Catlin, played a bogey-free round today, scoring an eagle and four birdies. “Pretty solid,” remarked the American, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour. “I drained a long one for eagle on four, which is always nice; it's just a solid bogey-free round of golf.”

“I'm definitely improving, as my mistakes are more manageable. I feel that my good rounds are solid, but my bad rounds have been costly. Last week in Hong Kong, I also felt my misses were playable.”

“Although I didn't capitalize as much as I wanted, I noticed that my misses have become more manageable. I kept this going this week, ending with only two bogeys over 36 holes, so it's rewarding to see my hard work paying off.”

Wang, who lost in a sudden-death playoff at the SJM Macao Open three weeks ago, is leading the Taiwan PGA Tour with three wins and is back in contention this week, attributing his fine form to his debut on the PGA Tour this year.

“In June, I participated in the Canadian Open for my first PGA Tour event, and I observed many great players,” said the golfer from Chinese-Taipei, known for being one of the biggest hitters on the Asian Tour. “This experience was beneficial for my improvement, as I learned what the best in the world do and how they execute their shots.”

He successfully made it to the tournament after passing through a pre-qualifier.

In a surprising twist, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, the leader in the International Series Rankings, and Japan’s Kazuki Higa, the leader in the Asian Tour Order of Merit, both missed the cut, allowing their nearest challengers to make a move. The cut was set at three under, with Vincent missing by one after a 69 and Higa missing by three after a 73.

Filipino Miguel Tabuena, currently second in the rankings and third in the Order of Merit behind Higa and Vincent, came in with a 68 and is now in a great position at eight under with two rounds remaining.

Two members of the Singapore amateur team, who recently competed in the World Amateur Team Championship held in Singapore, also performed exceptionally today. Brayden Lee shot a 68 to reach seven under, while Troy Storm recorded a 72 to finish at five under. Storm, only 16 years old, had an impressive 67 yesterday but struggled today, being three over after 13 holes and close to missing the cut. However, he made a remarkable comeback, scoring birdies on three of the last four holes, tying with Paul Casey, a marquee player in the tournament, who carded a 70.