YE Yang ominously moved one shot behind fellow Korean Kim Do-hoon at the halfway stage of the Volvo China Open at Jinji Lake International Golf Club.
Yang, who finished eighth at the US Masters last week, embarked on a back-nine birdie blitz to close on his equally in-form but lesser-known compatriot.
With Kim topping the second round leaderboard at 11-under-par after a three-under 69, Yang closed with four consecutive birdies which keyed a six-under-par 66 to earn a share of second alongside Asian number one Thongchai Jaidee and Welshman Jamie Donaldson.
Jaidee battled his usually reliable putter to card a two-under 70, while Donaldson posted six birdies in a 68 to improve to 10-under-par overall, a shot clear of Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal (69) and Finland’s Mikko Illonen (67).
Yang was forced to scramble for par at the last to concede just one bogey on his second circuit after hitting his approach into a deep greenside pot bunker which are a feature of the links style back nine.
“I managed to score quite well despite the conditions yesterday and today the conditions were more friendly and I was able to be a little bit more aggressive,” said the 38-year-old, who opened with a first round 68.
“But after my first birdie at the first hole I dropped a shot at the second and I thought it would be an up and down rollercoaster round, but fortunately I played within my realm and played a bit better than yesterday and I am satisfied with the score.
“I think the crucial hole for me was the birdie at number nine as it opened the gate to the back nine performance.”
While Yang saved par at his final hole of a bright but breezy second day, Kim will hope his only dropped shot of the day after misjudging the wind into the final green will not become a factor over the weekend.
Irish Open champion Shane Lowry is best of the Irish with a four-under-par 68 to go into the weekend on six-under-par 138. A string of birdies and two bogeys improved his first day score of 70 with Lowry now tied for 11th place.
Peter Lawrie added a level-par 72 for a five-under total of 139 as a result of bogeys on the third, 13th and 15th holes. Graeme McDowell finished with a 70 courtesy of three birdies on the back nine after making the turn in 36.
Paul McGinley completed a level par round for a one-under-par total of 143 as three birdies and three bogeys cancelled each other out. Damien McGrane picked up two shots by the 14th hole, but ended one over par after a bogey on the 15th and a double bogey on the par four 18th.
Gareth Maybin finished on level par 72 despite picking up three birdies during the round, but his good work was undone somewhat when he bogeyed the fourth, 13th and 15th. With the cut at one over Maybin made it by one stroke, having finished level par after day two with an aggregate 144.
Casey gives himself a chance
PAUL CASEY fired a six-under-par 65 at Harbour Town to give himself a chance of making the cut at the Verizon Heritage as Jim Furyk moved to the top of the early second-round leaderboard last night.
Bouncing back from an opening 75, England’s Casey put his recent troubles behind him with a bogey-free round on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island.
The world number seven had been looking at the wrong side of the cut line at Harbour Town Golf Links, but an early start yesterday began to put things right and, starting from the 10th hole, he holed three birdies to go out in 32.
More birdies followed on the par-five second and par-three seventh, before Casey completed his round with another at the par-four ninth for his 65 that moved him to two under par for the week, two strokes inside the early projected cutline.
Furyk was another to capitalise on a morning start when the winds stayed calm for the second day in a row.
The world number six followed an opening 68 with a three-under 67 to get to seven under at the halfway stage, with overnight leader KJ Choi among the later wave of starters and having bogeyed his second hole to slip to six under.
