Faldo, Parnevik retains joint lead in Super Tour

By Robert Soelistyo

BANGKOK (JP): Playing under bright blue skies, the Johnnie Walker Super Tour's second round saw overnight joint leaders Nick Faldo of England and Sweden's Jesper Parnevik retain top spot after they each shot a 71 here yesterday.

Parnevik charged round the Paya Indra Golf and Country Club course, playing with reckless abandon at times. The result was five birdies against two bogeys and a double bogey on the par- three 11th to leave him on a two-round total of 138.

"It was a great golf course -- very long and very tough. I bogeyed 10 and double bogeyed 11. I found the greens on the second nine were more difficult," Parnevik said in a post-round press conference.

The 32-year-old son of a popular comedian who turned pro at the age of 21, promised to play better in the third round in the Philippines tomorrow.

Faldo, 40, who has bagged 39 career victories since turning pro 11 years ago with six majors among them, was content with his 71.

"I played well and had plenty of chances but I found the greens very difficult. I three putted three, birdied four and bogeyed on 10 and 11. But then birdied numbers 12, 16 and 17," he said.

Two shots behind the leaders was defending champion Ernie Els of South Africa on 140 (69 71) just one stroke ahead of Filipino Felix Casas (70 72) in fourth place.

Els said he had at last recovered from a muscle spasm in his neck which helped his play on a course he described as "much harder than Jakarta."

"I have had some physio on my neck and that and the warm weather worked wonders," he said.

Indonesia's representative, Maan Naasim, got off to the worst possible start when he took 11 strokes on the par-five first.

His second shot hit a spectator, resulting in a two-stroke penalty and his next drive dropped into a water hazard where it remained a shot later.

The next escape attempt landed in the rough and only reached the green after nine tries and two putts for an 11.

"I've been having problems with backache for several months which has bothered me very much. I was suffering from it very badly when I woke up this morning," Maan said to explain his poor play, which he said was like an amateur.

He was lying last on 161 (74 87), seven strokes (77 77) behind Hong Chia-yuh, a top Taiwan amateur who was invited specially on account of his outstanding recent performances.

Today the unique Tour proceeds to the Philippines for its third round scheduled to be staged at Fairways & Bluewater Resort Golf and Country Club on Boracay island tomorrow. The par-72 layout was inaugurated in June has been dubbed the "Golfing Jewel of the Pacific".

The final round is on Sunday in Taiwan.

The Tour, though only in its second year, has gained in momentum and has done a lot to project Asia and the continent's golf.

"We are unfolding the Super Tour for the second year and for years to come to give Asia its quota of high-class action," Brands PR Director Steven Foxcroft said.

Omega PGA

In Hong Kong yesterday a three putt from 12 feet on the penultimate hole cost in-form Korean Park No-seok the first round lead in the US$500,000 Omega PGA Championship at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club.

In what is the final strokeplay event of the year on the Asian PGA's Omega Tour, and the Tour's fourth "major", Park finished with a six-under-par 64 to tie with Australian Leith Wastle and Taiwan's Lu Wen-teh.

The trio lead by a stroke from Korean Choi Kyung-ju, with five players tied on 66 Myanmar's Zaw Moe, Singapore's Dino Kwek, Hong Kong's Dominique Boulet, Taiwan's Chen Liang-hsi and Korea's Choi Kwang-soo.

American Mike Cunning, looking to secure the Omega Order of Merit title this week, made a solid start to the tournament firing an even-par 70.

"It was kind of brutal out there," said Cunning. "I am reasonably happy with my round." Cunning closest challengers on the money list, Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand and India's Jeev Milkha Singh, shot 72 and 69 respectively.

Standings after two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Super Tour: 138 - Nick Faldo (Eng) 67 71, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 67 71 140 - Ernie Els (Rsa) 69 71 141 - Felix Casas (Phi) 70 71 142 - Booncho Ruangkit (Tha) 72 70 144 - Ian Woosnam (Wales) 70 74 154 - Hong Chia-yuh (Twn) 77 77 161 - Maan Naasim (Ina) 74 87