Thai golfer takes over lead at Singapore PGA

By Bobby Allan Wilson

SINGAPORE (JP): One of Asia's most unorthodox and successful golfers, Thailand's Thammanoon Sriroj, opened up a three stroke lead yesterday at the end of the second round of the US$200,000 Yokohama Singapore PGA Championship at Raffles Country Club.

The 28-year-old fired his second five-under-par 67 to lead the Omega Tour event on a 10-under-par 134.

India's rapidly improving Arjun Atwal is in second position after carding a six-under-par 66 while Indonesia's Kasiadi is a stroke further back after returning a three-under-par 69.

"I feel very comfortable on this course because the grass is very similar to that at my home club," said Thammanoon, who comes from Chonburi in Thailand.

A colossal 40-foot putt on 12th hole, which did a full circuit of the cup before dropping in, was the highlight of Thammanoon's round.

"That putt was amazing," said Thammanoon.

"There was a huge hump in the green which I had to roll the ball over. If the ball had not hit the hole it would have finished 15 feet away."

Four shots behind the leader and alone at third place was Indonesia's current best hope Kasiadi who finished yesterday's round with a 3-under 69 for a 6-under 138 (69 69).

He opened yesterday's game with a birdie and played another birdie on 8th before bogeying the 9th for a 35.

He then went out with a bogey-free putt for 34 coming from two consecutive birdies on the 16th and 17th.

The Surabaya-based golfer made Indonesian golfing history when he won the Indonesian title in 1989 by finishing 11-under at the Jakarta Golf Club.

He finished among the best four in the Singapore Open in Jurong last August.

Teammate Maan Naasim, however, was eliminated from further contention after carding a 150 (74 76) as the field of the original 140 was reduced to 62 golfers limited to those at 149 or under.

Swing back

Thammanoon, who swings the club back as if it were a baseball bat, is in search of his third win on the Omega Tour having last season won the Singha Thai Prasit Bangkok Open and the Tugu Pratama PGA Championship in Jakarta.

In August of this year he lost to South African Des Terblanche in a sudden-death play-off for the Sabah Masters on the Omega Tour.

"My strategy has always been to attack the golf course but that has got me into too much trouble recently. I have watched players like Gerry Norquist and Mike Cunning who have had so much success by playing carefully. That is the way I am trying to play now. Over the weekend I will be playing much more conservatively," added Thammanoon, who made an eagle, four birdies and one bogey in his round.

Atwal, third round leader in the Asia Pacific Ericsson Masters three weeks ago, put in another good performance on the Omega Tour after equaling the course record set yesterday by American Mike Cunning.

"I putted brilliantly," said Atwal.

"That was probably my best putting round ever. I made too many mistakes from the tee which cost me a few strokes."

The 24-year-old Indian bogeyed the first but then collected seven birdies and missed an eight-foot birdie putt on the last for a 65.

"A 66 on that course would be worth a 63 or 64 on another layout," added Atwal.

First round leader Cunning slipped back with a two-over-par 74 and lies six strokes behind Thammanoon.

Japan's Yasuhiro Taguchi and Australia's Grant Dodd finished the day tied for fourth place on five-under-par 139.

Results: 134 - Thammanoon Sriroj (Tha) (67 67) 137 - Arjun Atwal (Ind) (71 66) 138 - Kasiadi (Ina) (69 69) 139 - Yasuhiro Taguchi (Jpn) (68 71), Grant Dodd (Aus) (67 72) 140 - Mike Cunning (USA) (66 74) 141 - Eric Meeks (USA) (72 69), Fran Quinn (USA) (72 69), Toru Kinoshita (Jpn) (72 69), Andrew Bonhomme (Aus) (70 71), Craig Kamps (Rsa)(69 72) 142 - Leith Wastle (Aus) (72 70) Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) (71 71) Dominique Boulet (Hkg) (70 72) Aaron Meeks (USA) (69 73) Scott Laycock (Aus) (69 73) 143 - Adrian Percey (Aus) (74 69), Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) (71 72) Wayne Bradley (Rsa) (70 73) 144 - Park Unho (Aus) (75 69) Lin Chien-Bing (Twn) (74 70) Brad Andrews (Aus) (72 72), Greg Hanrahan (USA) (70 74) Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha) (7074) Nico van Rensburg (Rsa) (70 74) Goo Ja-hoon (Kor) (69 75) 145 - Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) (76 69) Gavin Vearing (Aus) (74 71) Ted Purdy (USA) (74 71) Robert Herrera (Col) (73 72)