On
a day when another rain delay left half the field virtually idle,
while the other half endured a marathon, Li Chao¡¯s domination
of the China Tour finally met its sternest challenge as Liao Guiming
took the clubhouse lead in the Kunming Leg.
Having dropped a stroke as he completed the last nine holes of his
first round at the Kunming Country Golf Club, the 28-year-old from
Fujian province carded a five-under par 67 for his second round.
His two-round total of 137 left him on seven under par, four shots
ahead of the other 41 players to have completed 36 holes.
Li Chao, the winner of the inaugural Beijing Leg, retained the lead
however, having birdied the first two of the three holes he was
able to play before darkness forced a premature end to his day.
¡°I had two birdies in three holes, but early in the afternoon
I felt a lot of pressure as the other scores got close to mine while
I couldn¡¯t play,¡± said Li, a 25-year-old
from Beijing.
While Li suffered in inactivity, Liao benefited from a virtual
lovefest as he and his playing partners Zhong Yonguang and Liu Guojie
laughed and joked their way around the course, playing more like
three friends on a Sunday afternoon jaunt than the clubhouse leaders
they became.
¡°This morning was such a rush I didn¡¯t play
as well and dropped a shot on the third hole, but Zhong Yongguang
encouraged me a lot, especially after the first round,¡±
said Liao.
¡°He encouraged me to rest and relax for half an hour.
So when I started the second round I was able to play very steadily.
Playing with Zhong and Liu Guojie is very pleasant. Zhong was putting
better than me, but my iron play was better than his. I feel so
comfortable with him. I hope I can always play with him.¡±
Liu stands third in the clubhouse on two under par, while the 30-year-old
Zhong, certified as a player coach (the rank below professional)
is second on three under. His round should have been even better.
The only lefthander on the China Tour, Zhong blitzed the front nine
making five birdies and moved to five under par for the tournament
on the tenth, before the first of two bogeys set him back.
¡°It really helped to play with Liao and Liu. We all encouraged
each other and we played as a result. I was so happy whenever Liao
got a birdie. We all benefited from each other,¡± the
Shenzhen native explained.
¡°I did well in the first nine holes, I was playing smoothly,
but my judgement wasn¡¯t so good on the back nine holes.
The bogeys on the back nine affected me emotionally, especially
as I was hoping for birdies for me. I didn¡¯t feel tired.
I had good energy. I just lost some of my focus.¡±
Zhong remains in contention however, and may hold an advantage over
Li Chao and Richard Qiu Zhifeng, another of the first round leaders
who moved to four-under-par after three holes of his second round.
Qiu and Li face a long final day, when whether permitting, the second
and third rounds will be completed.
¡°It¡¯s a big challenge for me. I have 33 holes
to play, while some of the others have only 18 holes and it will
be easier for them,¡± said Li.
¡°I have a lot of work to do. But I¡¯m confident
and I¡¯ll be doing my best. I¡¯ll be trying
to make a good start, trying to make some birdies in my first few
holes, to create some distance between me and the rest.¡±
On
a day when another rain delay left half the field virtually idle,
while the other half endured a marathon, Li Chao¡¯s domination
of the China Tour finally met its sternest challenge as Liao Guiming
took the clubhouse lead in the Kunming Leg.
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