2007 UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship - Round 2: Taniguchi and Minoza share halfway lead

Turning back the clock once again in his year of renaissance, Frankie Minoza will play in the final group tomorrow for the first time for a ‘long time’ after moving into a tie for the 36-hole lead at the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship outside Tokyo.

The 47-year-old Minoza, who posted his first win in six years at February’s Philippine Open, is clearly back on song in 2007. Lying 10th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit after his home Open win, he notched four birdies in a second round of three-under-par 67 to join Japanese star Toru Taniguchi, who returned a one-under-par 69, at the top of the leaderboard at Japan’s ‘players championship’.

With only 11 players remaining under par after humid and rainy day, Minoza and Taniguchi are at four-under-par 136 and have a one shot lead over a group of four players – Japan’s Toshinori Muto, Kaname Yokoo and Shingo Katayama and overnight leader Naoya Takemoto, who stumbled with a 74 after his 63.

Minoza will have plenty of Asian Tour company going into the weekend, with Zhang Lian-wei, playing on a sponsors’ invite from UBS this week, firing an even-par 70 to lie in seventh place on his own at an aggregate of two-under 138 in his first tournament in Japan for two years.

Prayad Marksaeng, ninth on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, is one shot further back in joint eighth while Lin Keng-chi is another stroke behind in a tie for 12th alongside SK Ho. Prom Meesawat (18th) rounds out the top performers.

For Minoza, who finished tied for 15th here last year, it was his putter, on a course known as one of the toughest on the Japan Golf Tour, that was the club of the day. By his count, at least three times he saved par with a putt of more than 10 feet, including a courageous up and down at the last to preserve a share of the lead.

“There were at least three or four holes where I did not hit my driver very well and was in the rough, but I laid up and was able to save par. I just kept trying to hit the fairway, which is what you need to do here, and trying to make pars.

“I think I can definitely win here in Japan again,” said Minoza, who last won in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ at the 2001 Fuji Sankei Classic. “I am playing my irons really well and I am striking the ball well. If I can putt like I have been up until Sunday, maybe I have a chance. If I can shoot 68-68 the last two rounds, I will have a big chance of winning.”

However, even Minoza, the winner of six tournaments in Japan between 1990 and 2001, cannot recall when he was last paired in the final round of a tournament.

“I cannot remember. It is a long time,” he laughed.

For Zhang, his round came after being drawn in the first group of the day and an early wake-up call. “I started at 6.30 this morning, so I woke up at 4 am. But I feel great. It was the first group so no one was ahead stopping us. We all played in good speed and I feel terrific with the rhythm.

“My putting was pretty good today and there were some good and bad times out there. In general, I am pretty happy with my performance today, as it is a difficult course.”

The cut came at six-over-par 146 and among the casualties were Thammanoon Srirot, Gaurav Ghei, Chawalit Plaphol and Yeh Wei-tze. Defending champion Tatsuhiko Takahashi (seven-over), Craig Parry (eight-over) and Jumbo Ozaki (nine-over) also will be heading home early.

The UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship is being played over the par 70, 7,214-yard West Course at Shishido Hills Country Club, located about 100 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, and offers a prize purse of ¥150 million (about US$1.25 million).

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

1 Toru TANIGUCHI 67 69 136 -4
1 Frankie MINOZA 69 67 136 -4
3 Toshinori MUTO 70 67 137 -3
3 Kaname YOKOO 70 67 137 -3
3 Shingo KATAYAMA 69 68 137 -3
3 Naoya TAKEMOTO 63 74 137 -3
7 Lian-Wei ZHANG 68 70 138 -2
8 Hyung-Tae KIM 71 68 139 -1
8 Daisuke SHIRAISHI 69 70 139 -1
8 Makoto INOUE 69 70 139 -1
8 Prayad MARKSAENG 70 69 139 -1

June 29, 2007

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