2007 Brunei Open - Round 2: Refreshed Le Vesconte takes three shot lead

Australian Adam Le Vesconte surged into a three-stroke halfway lead in the Brunei Open on Friday to show he was back in business after getting “bored” with the game.

The 36-year-old produced a sparkling six-under-par 65 at the Empire Hotel and Country Club to lead the US$300,000 Asian Tour event on 12-under-par 130. Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang headed the chasing pack in second place after a frustrating 68 while rookie Neven Basic of Australia, who carded a 68, was third on 134, followed by compatriot Michael Wright (67) and American Gary Rusnak (68) in equal fourth place.

Title holder Wang Ter-chang of Chinese Taipei, wielding a hot putter, made a timely charge with a fine 66 to lie in tied sixth position, six off the pace, with compatriot Lu Wen-teh, Filipino Tony Lascuna, Canadian Ahmad Bateman and last year’s Brunei Open runner-up David Gleeson of Australia, who carded the day’s best of 64.

Le Vesconte, winner of the Philippine Open in 2005, nailed nine birdies against three bogeys to match his opening round’s effort at the magnificent Jack Nicklaus-designed course. Last week, the amiable Australian finished 10th after battling into contention at the Iskandar Johor Open, a result which has put the fire back in his belly.

“Back to back 65s, I haven’t seen that in a while,” smiled Le Vesconte, who closed out his round with four straight birdies over his final five holes. “It was another good putting day, 22 putts yesterday and 23 today. The greens are pure. You pick the right line and they go in.”

Just months ago, Le Vesconte had fallen into the depths of despair after missing seven straight cuts to languish in 78th place on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit. He forced himself into a five-week hiatus which he says has given him the impetus to play once more.

“I was getting bored. It was a struggle to get out and play golf. I think the break has done me good. I think the frustration has gone, it’s cleared my head. I’ve never had a break of five weeks without playing golf in my 11 years as a pro. I cooked for the wife, played poker and walked the dog down the beach every day and I eventually had to force myself to get the clubs back out from the cupboards,” said Le Vesconte.

Lin, the reigning Taiwan Open champion and the only player to post two top-10s in the Brunei Open since its inauguration in 2005, rued a cold putter as he missed three putts from three feet. “I didn’t have any luck. Everything was okay except for my putting. I had an eagle chance on 12 and three putted for par and missed a short one on 18. I’m not happy. I’ll only be happy if I can become the champion,” said Lin.

A new putter and driver in the bag have provided the push for Basic as he strung together a bogey-free round and nailed three birdies. “I’ve got the new Titleist D2 driver and I’ve changed to a Yes putter and I’m rolling it nicely. I’m not leaving myself any long putts coming back and I’m holing everything inside six feet,” said the 29-year-old.

Title holder Wang got the smile back on his face as he charged into the title frame with a solid seven-birdie round. “I’m very satisfied with my performance. I sank quite a few long putts which was unbelievable. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself going into the weekend. I just want to go out there, enjoy my game and do my best,” said the 45-year-old, who is a four-time winner on the Asian Tour.

A week after his best finish on Tour, Lascuna, a former national coach of the Philippine amateur team, was in contention once again with another impressive display of ball striking to shoot a 66.

“I drove the ball good and hit my irons and putted well,” said Lascuna, runner-up last weekend. “Yesterday, I got up in the morning and didn’t feel good with my body. I didn’t stretch too well and struggled. But after the round, I went to the sauna for an hour and that made me feel better.

“All my birdies were from close range. I hit some really good irons. If I can get another top-10, I’ll be happy. That would help me keep my card on the Asian Tour,” said Lascuna, who is currently 50th on the UBS Order of Merit.

The halfway cut was set at even par 142, with UBS Order of Merit leader Liang Wen-chong, who is nursing a muscle twinge in the neck and shoulder, missing his first cut of the season by three strokes after a 72.

Leading second round scores (click here for full leaderboard):

130 - Adam Le Vesconte (AUS) 65-65

133 - Lin Wen-tang (TPE) 65-68

134 - Neven Basic (AUS) 66-68

135 - Gary Rusnak (USA) 67-68, Michael Wright (AUS) 68-67

136 - Tony Lascuna (PHI) 70-66, David Gleeson (AUS) 72-64, Wang Ter-chang (TPE) 70-66, Lu Wen-Teh (TPE) 66-70, Ahmad Bateman (CAN) 70-66

137 - Corey Harris (USA) 68-69, Steve Parry (ENG) 67-70, Jarrod Moseley (AUS) 68-69, Panuwat Muenlek (THA) 67-70

138 - Roy Moon (USA) 70-68, Richard Lee (NZL) 68-70, S.S.P. Chowrasia (IND) 70-68, Gary Simpson (AUS) 67-71, Guido Van Der Valk (NLD) 65-73, Juvic Pagunsan (PHI) 69-69, Mark Brown (NZL) 65-73, Ilyasyak (INA) 68-70, Martin Rominger (SUI) 68-70

139 - Sung Mao-chang (TPE) 67-72, Yeh Chang-ting (TPE) 69-70, Artemio Murakami (PHI) 69-70, Scott Hend (AUS) 65-74, Taichiro Kiyota (JPN) 68-71, Adam Blyth (AUS) 68-71, Scott Barr (AUS) 71-68, Olle Nordberg (SWE) 66-73

August 31, 2007

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