GOLF TOUR NEWS:RORY McILROY produced a flawless six-under-par 64 to move within two shots of the leaders at the halfway mark in the Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong GC in Fanling, Hong Kong as South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen fired a sizzling eight-under 62 to grab a share of the lead.
The 26-year-old Oosthuizen carded eight birdies in a near-flawless round to finish a stroke shy of the course record and join Britons Oliver Wilson and Oliver Fisher, and Chawalit Plaphol of Thailand, on 132.
McIlroy hit the ground running with birdies at the first four holes on his way to a first nine of 30. Two more birdies followed at the 10th and 13th for a total of 64 and an eight-under-par total of 134.
Wilson notched up six birdies on the way to a four-under 66, but squandered the outright lead with a bogey on the last.
"I was really happy with yesterday, four-under, but today I was little disappointed with bogeying the last," the 28-year-old said.
After losing a play-off to Spain's Sergio Garcia at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai last week to finish runner-up for the eighth time in his career, Wilson said he would try to keep the near-misses from his mind over the weekend.
"I won't be walking down the last few holes thinking, oh, I'm going to finish second again, because you will probably finish about fourth or fifth," he said.
Fisher picked up birdies at the second, fourth and sixth holes and added two more coming home in a flawless display.
The Londoner came closest to breaking his European Tour duck when he lost a sudden-death play-off to Frenchman Thomas Levet at the Open de Andalucia in March this year.
And Fisher admitted, while he is happy with his play in general, he knows he needs to make the next step to compete with the very best.
"I played really solid today," said Fisher following a five-under-par 65 in the second round in Hong Kong. "I hit the ball well and hit a lot greens and took my chances. It was good.
"I'm in a good position going into the weekend and I will just go out there and enjoy it and have a good time.
"Everything is pretty good. I don't really have a weakness, it is all good. My whole game probably needs to improve a couple of notches to be challenging week in, week out.
"This is the start of my third season now, so it has gone quickly. I would say I've learned so much being out here.
After carding a patient first-round 68, eight-time European number one Colin Montgomerie attacked the greens with gusto yesterday, dropping a single stroke on the way to a six-birdie 65 to lie a shot off the pace.
Montgomerie, whose form woes have seen him tumble out of the world top 100 this year, joined Swede Johan Edfors, Australian Marcus Fraser, round one joint leader Richard Sterne of South Africa and Italy's Francesco Molinari in the clubhouse on 133.
Lin Wen-tang of Taiwan and Indian number one Jeev Milkha Singh lie two strokes off the leaders with McIlroy on 134.
Gareth Maybin shot 67 for a total of 138 but will be disappointed with dropping two shots in the last four holes. Graeme McDowell is a shot back on 139 after a 68 while Paul McGinley birdied the last two holes to make the cut on the limit of 140.
Meanwhile the 50th anniversary of the Hong Kong Open witnessed an historic moment when teenage amateur Jason Hak became the youngest player to make the cut at a European Tour event after successive 70s ensured he made it through to the weekend.
At 14 years and 304 days the youngster from Hong Kong beat the record set by current world number two Sergio Garcia by 107 days. Garcia was 15 years and 46 days when he made the cut in the 1995 Turespana Open Mediterrania, The Land of Valencia.
