Ryder stars miss cut as Randhawa leads Singapore Masters
 
Mar. 9, 2007

SINGAPORE -- India's Jyoti Randhawa fired seven birdies on his way to a 4-under-par 68 and a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters on Friday.

Randhawa, last year's Indian Open champion, had a two-round total of 11-under 133 despite three bogeys amid windy conditions at the $1.1 million tournament, which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour.

SINGAPORE MASTERS
EUROPEAN TOUR
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Singapore
Purse: $1.1 million
Venue: Laguna National G&CC, Masters and Classic courses
Par: 72 (Masters)
Yards: 7,207
Par: 72 (Classic)
Yards: 7,099
Defending Champion: Mardan Mamat

Scotland's Barry Hume (69) carded five birdies but conceded a double bogey to sit in second place with a 10-under 134. Malaysian Iain Steel shot eight birdies and one bogey for a 65 to sit two strokes off the pace with England's Gary Lockerbie (67).

Englishman Nick Dougherty shot an eagle against six bogeys for a 72 and a two-round total of 2 under to just make the cut. And Anton Haig was brought back down to earth after his victory at the Johnnie Walker Classic last week as the South African youngster quadruple bogeyed the second in a dismal round of 81 that put him 11 over for the tournament.

Missing the cut were outgoing European Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam of Wales (70) and Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood (73) and David Howell (73) of England, and Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke (73). Woosnam and Westwood had two-round totals of 143, while Howell had a 144 and Clarke blew out to 147.

Randhawa led the round by two strokes much of the round, highlighted by a drive out of the rough on the par-5 No. 11 to set up a birdie lob from about 12 feet. But his lead was reduced by a stroke when he veered left of the green on the par-3 17th for bogey.

"I'm not particularly playing all that great, but I'm managing myself, so let's hope that my game gets together in the last two days and we'll see what happens," Randhawa said. "As long as I go there and do my work and just stay in the present."

Overnight co-leader Liang Wenchong of China (72) and Irishman Peter Lawrie (70) remained in contention at 8-under 136, three strokes off the lead. Liang's joint first round leader, Marcus Fraser of Australia, was a stroke back after shooting a 73.

The tournament's first two rounds have been played on both the Laguna National Golf and Country Club's 7,207-yard, par-72 Masters Course and its 7.099-yard, par-72 Classic Course. The final two rounds will be played on the Masters Course.

Hume was pleased to find himself within a stroke of Randhawa. The 25-year-old from Glasgow followed up his opening-round 65 at the Classic Course with five birdies on the more difficult Masters Course.

Things could have gone even better for the 2002 Scottish Amateur champion, who began well with three birdies at the first four holes and was 12 under after further birdies on the 15th and 16th before his double bogey on the 17th.

"It is always disappointing to double bogey the 17th, but my golf overall has been good so I am not too worried about that," said the Scot, who has played on the Asian Tour for the past two years. "The goal was to make the cut.

"There are a lot of players here who are going to miss out so I am happy with that, but I have probably done better so far than I thought I would," he added. "Obviously I've made the cut so I now have to look a bit higher. But if I keep playing the way I am playing then I will be happy regardless of what happens."

Randhawa, winner of the Singapore Open in 2000, had even more reason to be pleased.

"It really got windy today and it was a tough scoring day," said Randhawa, who recently finished in a tie for seventh at the Dubai Desert Classic but has missed the cut at his other four European Tour events this year.

"The greens dried up and became hard as well so it was tough to get it close and with the wind getting up it made it even harder," he added. "But I am happy the way I played, you miss some, you get some and as long as you do that, I am pretty happy with the way it went.

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