Three-time champion Adam Scott continued his love affair with the SMBC Singapore Open on Friday by snatching the clubhouse lead midway through the second round after a delightful 67 that thrilled the large galleries.
Scott sits on seven under 135, a shot ahead of Angelo Que of the Philippines who added a 69 to his first round 67.
The smooth-swinging Australian put the finishing touches to his first round on Friday morning with a birdie at 17 and a disappointing three-putt par at the 18th for a 68 before teeing up for his second round on the 10th at Sentosa Golf Club.
The world number seven made a fast start with an opening birdie and picked up another shot at the 12th hole before dropping a shot at the next.
His second birdie of the day at the 17th was followed by some brilliant shot making on 18 which nearly brought him an eagle. A booming drive set up a short approach to the par-five and he stuck it to 12 foot, only to miss a makeable putt.
The second nine was more barren with just a single birdie at the fourth but Scott looked in full control of his game over The Serapong Course which he knows so well.
Although he gave himself plenty looks at birdie his line and length was slightly off.
Que, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour, kept on the heels of Scott with four birdies and two bogeys.
Defending champion Younghan Song, who matched Scott’s 68 in the first round, failed to keep pace with his playing partner and finished round two a couple behind after an up-and-down 69.
He miscued a few times from the fairway and two early bogeys put him on the back foot. He carded two more bogeys but a putting masterclass helped him pick up six birdies which limited the damage.
Joint first round leader Satoshi Kodaira (72) and Thais Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Panuphol Pittayarat, who shot matching 71s, joined Song in the clubhouse, two behind Scott.
Ernie Els, twice a runner-up at the Singapore Open, looks like missing the cut after adding a level-par 71 to his opening 73.
Japan Tour number one Yuta Ikeda, who was in the same group as Scott and Song, will also sit out the weekend. He failed to hit the heights of late 2016, when he won twice and finished runner-up six times. and carded rounds of 74-70.
Japan’s Hideto Tanihara and Korea’s Kyungnam Kang, who led with Kodaira after the first round, were amongst the afternoon starters in the SMBC Singapore Open which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Tour Golf Organisation.
