Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 26: Sukree Othman of Malaysia scored hole-in-one enroute to carding a three-under-par 69 and grabbing a share of the halfway lead at the RM225,000 (approximately US$58,000) PGM Northport Championship on Thursday.

He started the day emphatically by making an ace on hole two followed by birdies on the following two holes. The Malaysian dropped two shots at the sixth but steadied himself before signing for a seven-under-par 137 total at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.

Mathiam Keyser of South Africa and Thailand’s Chanat Sakulpolphaisan shared the lead after carding 68 and 66 respectively.

The 31-year-old Keyser went on a birdie streak after starting his round with eleven straight pars. In his last seven holes, he traded five birdies against a lone bogey. Chanat impressed with a bogey-free round. The Thai did not put a foot wrong as he made three birdies on both sides of the turn.

Malaysia’s Daeng Abdul Rahman is in lone fourth place after carding a 66. Five golfers, including Asian Development Tour (ADT) winners Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij and Josh Salah, shared fifth place.

Sukree was able to keep his emotions in check, which paid dividends in the end.

“I felt good after my first three holes. Unfortunately, I made a double bogey at the par-five sixth, which was quite an easy hole to score. I had to recompose myself and move on. Fortunately, I made two more birdies after the turn,” said Sukree.

He added: “For round three, hopefully, I can do as well as I did over the last two days. I’m confident of my chances. Everyone wants to win the tournament, and I’m no different. It’s hard to predict in golf. I’m just going to take it one shot at a time.

Mathiam Keyser of South Africa

Keyser, who enjoyed two top-five finishes in on the ADT in May, was rewarded for his patient approach on the golf course.

“Golf is a funny game. I wasn’t able to get anything going on my opening 11 holes but after making my first birdie on my 12th hole (the par-five hole three, as he started at the 10th tee box), I gained a lot of momentum and things started to go my way,” said Keyser.

Chanat credited his good round to the positive changes to his swing.

“I had problems hitting the ball well previously, but after working with my coach, my swing got a lot better. And because of that, I managed to find more fairways here, which allowed me to attack the pins,” explained Chanat.

Daeng, who is playing in his second year as a professional, kickstarted his tournament at the eighth hole.

“The birdie at the eighth hole game set me up for the back nine. It was a downhill 25-feet putt and I managed to get it in. I didn’t drop a single shot after that,” said Daeng.

Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on all ADT events with the winner earning a total of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

The leading seven players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season.

Leading round two scores

137 – Mathiam KEYSER (RSA) 69 68, Chanat SAKULPOLPHAISAN (THA) 71 66, Sukree OTHMAN (MAS) 68 69

138 – Daeng Abdul Rahman (MAS) 72 66

139 – KOH Deng Shan (SGP) 71 68, Josh SALAH (USA) 70 69, Shakhawat SOHEL (BAN) 71 68, Tawit POLTHAI (THA) 68 71, Varanyu RATTANAPHIBOONKIJ (THA) 69 70

140 – Janne KASKE (FIN) 68 72, Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) 69 71, Erwan VIEILLEDENT (FRA) 68 72

141 – Shariffuddin ARIFFIN (MAS) 71 70, Ervin CHANG (A) (MAS) 75 66

142 – R. Nachimuthu (MAS) 72 70, S. Siva Chandhran (MAS) 71 71, CHOO Tze Huang (SGP) 71 71, Kemarol BAHARIN (MAS) 69 73, Lee SONG (KOR) 74 68, Pisitchai THIPPONG (THA) 71 71

143 – Scott BARR (AUS) 72 71, Fajar Win NURYANTO (INA) 72 71, Martin DIVE (AUS) 69 74, Naoki SEKITO (JPN) 72 71, KHOR Kheng Hwai (MAS) 71 72, Jesse SCHUTTE (USA) 71 72

144 – Ratchapol JANTAVARA (THA) 74 70, Joshua HO (A) (SGP) 72 72, Annop TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 69 75, Brett MUNSON (USA) 71 73, Samarth DWIVEDI (IND) 72 72, Phanuvich ONCHU (THA) 73 71

145 – Sam GILLIS (USA) 78 67, George GANDRANATA (INA) 76 69, Cody O’TOOLE (USA) 69 76, Kenneth DE SILVA (MAS) 74 71

About Asian Development Tour

The Asian Development Tour was launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia. Sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Asian Development Tour will ultimately create a new playing platform for emerging stars from across Asia and around the world. Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School, players will qualify for the Asian Development Tour and enjoy the opportunity to hone their games and talent through a secondary circuit in Asia. Designed in the same structure as the Web.com Tour in America and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf. The Asian Development Tour has been structured to ensure the best opportunities for its members. The leading five players on the Asian Development Tour will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for aspiring professionals. All ADT events receive Official World Golf Ranking points.