![\"Rashid](\"images\/golf\/Rashid-Khan-Rolex-Player-of-the-Year-2013.jpg\")
Taipei: Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan of India battled against the gusty wind to grab the halfway lead after signing for a two-under-par 70 at the US$650,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Friday.<\/p>\nTaipei: Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan of India battled against the gusty wind to grab the halfway lead after signing for a two-under-par 70 at the US$650,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Friday.<\/p>\n
The pencil-thin 24-year-old overcame a double-bogey on the first with six birdies against two bogeys to stay one shot ahead of playing partner and overnight leader Danny Chia of Malaysia on six-under-par 138 total at the challenging Taiwan Golf and Country Club’s Tamsui course.<\/p>\n
Filipino veteran Antonio Lascuna posted a 71 to settle four shots back in third place with China’s Liang Wen-chong (73), Sri Lankan Mithun Perera (72), Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman (74) and local hotshot Pan Cheng-tsung (72) at the long-running Asian Tour event.<\/p>\n
Despite getting off to a dismal start, Khan kept his head up and bounced back strongly with three straight birdies starting from the fifth. He dropped a shot on ninth before adding three birdies against a bogey on his way home.<\/p>\n
“I started really bad. I made a double-bogey on the first hole. I hit it into the bunker and three-putted on the green. It was very disappointing but I didn’t let it affect me. I holed a 15-footer on the next hole for par and gained a little confidence from there.<\/p>\n
“The three straight birdies really got my game going. I told my caddy if I can shoot three or four-under par, it will be great. I kept the ball in play on the back nine and I am happy with where I stand, given the tough conditions out there,” said Khan, who ended his round on a sweet note when he sank a six-foot birdie putt on the par-four 18th.<\/p>\n
Khan, however, conceded that he would need to rediscover some magic in his putter should he wish to maintain his lead.<\/p>\n
“Overall, I feel confident with my game but my short game just wasn’t as good today. I three-putted three times today and my chipping was not good too. I am going to work on my short game so I can have more control on my distance in the next two rounds,” Khan lamented.<\/p>\n
Chia, who recently earned his spot in the lucrative CIMB Classic next month, dug deep to mix his card with two birdies against two bogeys.<\/p>\n
“There’s nothing bad about my round but it wasn’t good either. It was really windy out there. I feel good hitting every shot but the ball is just flying everywhere. I don’t know if the wind is affecting it or if it’s because I didn’t hit the shot well. I just try to avoid making bogeys,” said the 43-year-old, highest ranked Malaysian in 342nd position on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).<\/p>\n
Having won his third Asian Development Tour (ADT) title on home soil a fortnight ago, Chia hopes to extend his good form as he relishes his prospects playing with Khan for the third day in a row.<\/p>\n
“I guess playing conservatively is probably the best option. If I can save par, I try to save par. You will have an advantage if you can read the greens. Putting will be the key too. It was good playing with Rashid today. I think we kind of fit into each other’s games on the course. He played well today.. I think it’s going to be fun playing with him again,” added Chia.<\/p>\n
Despite the testing condition with swirling wind speed of up to 40 mph, Lascuna remained calm and composed to cap an encouraging round.<\/p>\n
“My putting was good and I drove the ball well. You have to be good off the tee to play well on this course. I thought my game was pretty steady given the tough conditions out there,” said the 44-year-old Filipino, who enjoyed a tied-second finish last year.<\/p>\n
“I finished well here last year and that has given me a bit of confidence coming to this week. The way I tackled the course these two days were pretty similar to how I played last year. If I can play like how I did last year, I should have a chance to win this week,” added Lascuna, who is chasing for a maiden Asian Tour title.<\/p>\n
Players will be vying for good showings at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters to boost their chances of qualifying for the prestigious CIMB Classic and WGC-HSBC Champions.<\/p>\n
As of October 26, the leading four golfers from the Order of Merit will earn starting places in the US$8.5 million HSBC Champions in November while the leading 10 players will qualify for the US$7 million CIMB Classic at the end of October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Taipei: Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan of India battled against the gusty wind to grab the halfway lead after signing for a two-under-par 70 at the US$650,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Friday.<\/p>\n
The pencil-thin 24-year-old overcame a double-bogey on the first with six birdies against two bogeys to stay one shot ahead of playing partner and overnight leader Danny Chia of Malaysia on six-under-par 138 total at the challenging Taiwan Golf and Country Club’s Tamsui course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-golf-golf"],"yoast_head":"\n