Valderrama founder Jaime Ortiz-Patiño is auctioning off one of the world’s most important private collections of golf art and memorabilia.

The sale, at Christie’s in London on May 30, is expected to raise more than £2 million.

Assembled by Ortiz Patiño over 25 years, this auction will see the return of many rare items to the market, including an 18th century metal headed putter previously in the collection of The Royal Perth Golfing Society, which took a record £110,000 when sold by Christie’s Scotland in the late 1990s. In May it is expected to realise £60,000 to £100,000.

Other highlights include the preparatory oil sketch for perhaps the most famous painting in the history of golf, ‘The Golfers’ by Charles Lees, which is now in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. It is expected to realise £120,000 to £180,000. ‘The Golf Course, North Berwick’ by Sir John Lavery, from a series of works painted between 1921 and 1922 that are the most valuable and desirable modern depictions of the game, is estimated at £200,000 to £300,000.

A range of feather filled balls, with estimates ranging from £5,000 to £20,000, will be sold alongside an early gutty ball made by Allan Robertson and inscribed “A new kind of golf ball made of gutta percha in the year 1849” (estimated £12,000 to £18,000). There’s also a programme from the inaugural Masters in 1934.

As the brand evolved, entering the glove business in 1980, socks the year after, performance outerwear in 1997, and full line golf apparel today, a consistent and enduring mark has served as the common thread among all of those products: the FJ.

When wearing a product with the FJ mark, you identify yourself with an authentic golf brand that is worn by more players on the worldwide tours and more consumers, in general.

The mark that has adorned more PGA Tour professionals, club pros and better amateurs provides an aspirational quality that has been critical to FootJoy’s success over the years.

When you wear FJ, you define yourself as a player who is committed to the game of golf.

FJ ‘Spot-The-Car Decal’ Contest

In conjunction with its new marketing tagline, ‘FJ. The Mark of a Player’, FJ is running a ‘Spot-The-Car Decal’ contest from May 1 – June 30, 2012 in Singapore and Malaysia.

• ‘FJ. The Mark of a Player’ car decals (stickers) will be distributed through golf magazines, authorised FJ retail shops and at selected events.
• Golfers who display the car decal during this period and get spotted by the FJ team at golf clubs, driving ranges and/or at events will stand a chance to win FJ apparel prizes and FJ goodie bag items.
• Three (3) winners every week will be announced on the FJ websites every Monday from May 7 – July 2, 2012.

Log onto www.FootJoy.com.my for contest details

Seoul, April 29: Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger left his rivals trailing in his wake as he romped to victory with a closing four-under-par 68 to lift the Ballantine’s Championship today.

The 26-year-old Austrian savoured the winning feeling for the time when he signed off with a four-day total of 18-under-par 270 to lift his maiden Tour title at the €2,205,000 Ballantine’s Championship which is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Korea PGA.

Second-placed Richie Ramsay of Scotland battled to a flawless 65 but was still not good enough to overtake Wiesberge, who was always in complete control.

France’s Victor Dubuisson, who took the opening round lead, grabbed a share of third place alongside 2010 Ballantine’s Championship winner, Marcus Fraser of Australia on 277.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Asian Tour honorary member Y.E Yang of Korea were the highest placed Asians after they signed off with 281 to take a share of 15^th place alongside England’s Ian Poulter, Wales’ Jamie Donaldson and David Oh of the United States.

Starting the day with a five-shot lead, Wiesberger reached the turn in 35 after a birdie on the par-five fifth.

He continued to par holes 10 to 14 and there was never going to be any question on who will win the Ballantine’s Championship once the Austrian birdied the 15^th and 16^th holes.

Wiesberger’s victory at the Blackstone Golf Club was made even sweeter when he signed off with another birdie on the closing par-five 18^th.

“I can’t say I wasn’t nervous on the first tee box, but when I got the first shot out there on the fairway, it was a bit of a relief,” said Wiesberger.

“Every sportsman dreams about winning, especially a tournament that has been so well organised and has such great players in the field.  To play the way I did this week is very special.  I just wanted to get my hands on the trophy and I did that pretty well,” added the champion.

Ramsay, who posted his week’s best score of 65, conceded that he was never going to beat Wiesberger even if he was at the top of the game. The Scott then tipped his hat to the worthy Ballantine’s Championship winner.

“As a golfer, you never want to lose. You always want to be the one who wins.  But to be honest, Bernd has played fantastically well out there,” said Ramsay.

“If you’re going to get beaten by somebody, it might as well be Bernd because he’s a good guy,” added Ramsay.

Kiradech got off to a good start with birdies on the second and sixth hole.

However, a costly double-bogey six on the 10^th hole caused by an errant drive put paid to any hopes of a miraculous comeback for the one-time Asian Tour winner.

“That double-bogey on the 10^th hole was a bad mistake. I didn’t drive the ball as good as I did yesterday and I paid the price for it,” said Kiradech.

“But overall, I enjoyed myself in Korea this week and I’m looking forward to be back again,” added the Thai.

Meanwhile Yang, who drew the large galleries to the Blackstone Golf Club all week, is hopeful that the event will eventually see a Korean winner, provided they move out of their comfort zone and gain more experience by playing aboard.

“The European Tour players have much more experience playing in different kind of weather conditions and they know how to better read the courses better,” said Yang.

“While some Korean players have gained experience on the Asian Tour, many are playing in this tournament for the first time.  They need to gain more experience by playing abroad in bigger tournaments with bigger prize money,” added Yang, who is Asia’s first major winner.

Scores after round 4 of the Ballantine’s Championship 2012 being played at the par 72, 7281 Yards Blackstone Gc course (a- denotes amateur):

270 – Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT) 72-65-65-68.

275 – Richie RAMSAY (SCO) 70-72-68-65.

277 – Victor DUBUISSON (FRA) 68-75-68-66, Marcus FRASER (AUS) 71-67-69-70.

278 – Anthony WALL (ENG) 73-67-71-67, Miguel Angel JIMENEZ (ESP) 72-68-69-69.

279 – George COETZEE (RSA) 71-71-71-66, Ross FISHER (ENG) 71-72-70-66, Alexander NOREN (SWE) 75-66-69-69, Paul MCGINLEY (IRL) 71-73-65-70, Felipe AGUILAR (CHI) 71-69-68-71.

280 – Adam SCOTT (AUS) 71-76-68-65, Romain WATTEL (FRA) 72-73-67-68, David HOWELL (ENG) 73-69-68-70.

Selected scores

281 – Ian POULTER (ENG) 75-67-69-70, Y.E. YANG (KOR) 74-71-66-70, Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 76-69-65-71.

283 – Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 72-74-68-69, SIDDIKUR  (BAN) 75-69-68-71, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 71-71-69-72

The Englishman defeated former Asian Tour number one Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, who returned with a 67, by two shots while India’s rising star Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shiv Kapur finished in tied third place at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Westwood, who finished tied third at the Masters Tournament two weeks ago, held a dominant eight-shot lead going into the final round but tiredness began to kick in on his homeward nine as he shot one birdie and three bogeys.

“Today was hard. It is never easy playing in these conditions and I had to play 32 holes. It was draining out there and I was really feeling it on the back nine. When you are in contention and under pressure, it seems to zap your energy faster,” said Westwood.

“You never know how to play with such a big lead. You don’t know if you should attack or defend. It is quite hard to get your mental attitude around it. It was a case of staying patient and calm and playing the holes correctly. It was exhausting,” he added.

Westwood, who won US$118,875 and a batik jacket, which is afforded to every winner of the tournament, hopes to replicate his winning performance this week in the three remaining Major championships of the year.

“Hopefully this will kick-start my year. I’ve played well without any wins so hopefully I can go on and win other tournaments. It is tough when you are the favourite because if you don’t win then it will be disappointing. There was a lot of pressure so I’m glad I did it,”added Westwood, who turns 39 on Tuesday.

Westwood is the 10^th player to successfully defend his title on the Asian Tour. The last successful title defence was by Lu Wen-teh of Chinese Taipei, winner of the Taiwan Masters in 2007 and 2008.

Thai star Thaworn, winner of the Order of Merit in 2005, birdied the last two holes to claim his best finish of the season.

“I felt tired after the 12^th hole but I held on. I couldn’t really hit my shots properly so I’m quite surprised with the way I finished. I haven’t won in a while but I’ve come close this season so I hope to keep the momentum going,” said the 12-time Asian Tour winner.

Bhullar, who won his first Asian Tour title in Indonesia in 2009, posted his fourth top-10 finish on the Asian Tour this year and was delighted with his battling performance.

“Indonesia is one of my favourite destinations. I won my first title here. Obviously when I play here I have a lot of positive memories. I’m quite confident my time to win will come really soon. I went through a slump last year but I guess that’s part of the game and I’m over it,” said 23-year-old.

Lee Sung of Korea, who was born with a hearing impairment, turned in 32 to narrow Westwood’s lead by three but his title hopes were dashed after shooting three straight bogeys from the 10^th hole followed by two more dropped shots on 15 and 16.

“I lost concentration out there. That has been the story for me since last year. I really need to maintain my focus if I want to win again,” said a devastated Lee, who won on the Asian Tour in 2007.

Results (Top 10 and ties):

272 – Lee WESTWOOD (ENG) 65-68-65-74.

274 – Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 72-69-66-67.

276 – Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70-65-69, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 68-71-70-67.

277 – Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 74-68-66-69.

278 – BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 72-70-68-68.

279 – Angelo QUE (PHI) 69-73-68-69, LEE Sung (KOR) 68-71-67-73, Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT) 70-68-72-69.

281 – Berry HENSON (USA) 69-73-69-70, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 71-73-66-71, Masanori KOBAYASHI (JPN) 69-68-74-70, Zaw MOE (MYN) 68-67-75-71.

Rounds of 67, 67, 64 and 69 gave him a 21-under par total of 267 and set a record on this new links-style course, which at 7,667 yards is one of the longest on any professional circuit. Like many links courses, however, the weather is its chief defense, and on a balmy day conditions were perfect for low scores.

Colsaerts, whose only European Tour victory came at this event last year, put in a heroic defense of his title , but his three-under 69 for the day was not enough to  catch Grace. A crucial birdie on the last, however, gave him sole possession of second place and also a spot in the Volvo World Matchplay Championships next month.

A shot further back was England’s Richard Finch, who closed with a 66, one ahead of Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and George Coetzee of South Africa who shared fourth.

Grace burst onto the scene in January when he won back-to-back victories in his native South Africa, beating a host of his talented countrymen and the cream of European talent to take the Joburg Open and the Volvo Golf Champions tournament.

In the latter, he and Colsaerts went head-to-head on the final day, and the pair have now forged something of a friendship as they played the final two rounds together this weekend.

“To have won three now, before May, is unbelievable,” a beaming Grace said after his victory. “Now I want to win every weekend.”

The 23-year-old’s only blemish of the day was a bogey on the par-four fourth, but he recovered and kept his nerve for the remainder of the round.

“I stayed really calm even after the bogey,” he said. “I think the experience of earlier this year really helped me a lot.”

Grace said he would now shift his focus to gaining a bit more experience playing on the PGA tour as well as the Majors.

His sole Major appearance ended with him tied for 43rd in the 2009 Open Championship, but this win is likely to propel him into the world’s top 50.

“I have played one of the majors before, but a few more are the aim,” he said. “I will also head to the States to try get a bit more experience there.”

Colsaerts felt he could have been a bit more aggressive in chasing down Grace over the last round, but was nevertheless happy with his performance.

“I thought I could have got little meaner on Branden today. I had a few chances,” he said. ” I could have closed the gap a little more. I left him a bit too much breathing space.”

But he admitted there was little the field could do against a player clearly in form.

“He played very well today and did not do anything stupid,” said Colsaerts.

“He made a couple of birdies here and there which is what you want to do when you are a couple of shots ahead. He (Grace) sent everybody a statement yesterday that he was the guy that we had to go and hunt.”

That said, the big-hitting Belgian was particularly pleased with his birdie on the last that gave him solo second place.

“I think it would have been a little sour to have finished tied second as I played well all week.”

The man he robbed for that, Englishman Finch, enjoyed the best weekend of his career for a bumper payday after closing with a six-under 66.

“My game did not quite feel it was in the same slot as yesterday to be honest. First few holes were a bit of a scramble, but I hung in there and made a few good birdies and I am pleased with how it went overall. A  65 66 is probably the best weekend I have ever had.”

Of the 30 Chinese players in their national Open championship, only two made the cut. Huang Wenyi finished a credible five under, while 2003 winner Zhang Lianwei was a further three shots adrift.

Ian Poulter, the top player in the field with a rank of 24th in the world, finished well down at 10 under for the tournament, but showed his class with a closing round of 66.

Swede Peter Hanson, who finished tied for third in the U.S. Masters two weeks ago, shot the day’s low score of 65 to finish at 13 under for the tournament.

Results (Top 10)

267 – Branden GRACE (RSA) 67-67-64-69.

270 – Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL) 68-67-66-69.

271 – Richard FINCH (ENG) 67-73-65-66.

272 – Victor DUBUISSON (FRA) 69-68-68-67, George COETZEE (RSA) 72-67-64-69.

273 – Ricardo GONZALEZ (ARG) 68-73-65-67, Francesco MOLINARI (ITA) 72-65-67-69, Marcus FRASER (AUS) 67-69-67-70, Alexander NOREN (SWE) 68-72-63-70, Fabrizio ZANOTTI (PAR) 70-68-64-71.

Although Oosthuizen sent his second shot left of the green with his ball nestled in deep rough behind a bunker, the result was never really in doubt and he calmly pitched 25 feet past the flag. He almost sank his birdie putt and tapped in for par and the win.

Oosthuizen’s winning total of 17-under-par 271 (66-68-69-68) was all the more impressive as the 29-year-old had to endure a 30-hour flight from Augusta to Kuala Lumpur, as well as shrug off the memories of his heartbreaking playoff loss to Bubba Watson in the Masters last Sunday.

“I’m a little bit surprised because I thought I would be tired. I played well and the game was there so that made it a lot easier,” said the 2010 British open champion. “It would have been better if I had the Green Jacket! But I had a good week last week and I’m looking forward to the next Major.”

“Coming here and winning after what happened last week showed me that I can pull it off so it’s very important. I think my win at the British Open has helped me get my game to where it is at the moment. I have been working quite a bit with my coach and we have been trying to get my game to where we want it to be,” added Oosthuizen, who picked up US$416,660 for his fifth European Tour title and first win in Asia.

“I went over the card, thought I signed it properly. Signed for a 69 when I shot a 68. I thought I was tied for the lead, and then I was one behind but luckily it didn’t affect me that much. It’s one of those things that you learn,” said the 37-year-old Gallacher, who got to within one shot of the champion on the back nine.

Englishman Danny Willett, David Lipsky of the USA and Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello tied for third on 271, one shot clear of 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa.

Lipsky’s career has been on the upswing since winning the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January which subsequently led him to his maiden professional victory in Cambodia last month. He was three shots off the pace entering the final round but failed to keep up with a  surging Oosthuizen.

“It’s been great. I’ve been pretty consistent off the tee and my putter has been cooperating with me. Those two things combine really help. This is probably my 10th straight round under par. I can’t believe where I’m at right now. I’m so happy. The hard work has paid off,” said the 23-year-old Lipsky.

Defending champion Matteo Manassero of Italy closed with a 69 for a share of seventh place on 279 with German star Martin Kaymer, South African Hennie Otto and France’s Romain Wattel.

“If you take those two (bad) shots away then I would have finished higher. At least I know why those bad shots came because the old swing came in. I birdied after those shots so that was a good comeback. All in all I think I’m feeling good. I just need to give it a little bit more time,” said Randhawa.

Singh, a two-time Order of Merit winner in 2006 and 2008, got off to a flying start with four straight birdies to move into contention but three bogeys in the middle of the round and a double bogey on 16 killed his hopes.

“I had a great start. I think I got ahead of myself and gave a few shots away. I thought I got really unlucky on 16, I hit a great shot in there but it rolled into the water. That set me back and I shot even par. Hopefully it gets better from here,” said Singh.

Malaysia’s Shaaban Hussin closed with a 73 for a share of 57th spot on two-over-par. He was the only Malaysian from 22 who started to make the halfway cut.

Results (Top 10 and ties)

271 – Louis OOSTHUIZEN 66-68-69-68

274 – Stephen GALLACHER 67-68-69-70

276 – Danny WILLETT 69-69-67-71, David LIPSKY 70-67-69-70, Rafael CABRERA-BELLO 67-72-66-71

277 – Charl SCHWARTZEL 64-75-70-68

279 – Martin KAYMER 70-67-71-71, Hennie OTTO 71-64-72-72, Romain WATTEL 68-68-72-71, Matteo MANASSERO 70-72-68-69

One shot behind was Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, who negotiated 12 holes of his third round in three-under-par, followed by Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain, England’s Danny Willet and American David Lipsky, all on 10-under in the Asian Tour and European Tour co-sanctioned event.

India’s Jyoti Randhawa, the Asian Tour’s number one in 2002, was the highest placed Asian in a share of sixth place, four behind the leader as he played 13 holes in three-under-par. His compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh was a further shot back through 13 holes as well.

The 29-year-old Oosthuizen returned to the West Course early this morning to fire two birdies in six holes to seize the second round lead. He then kept his nose ahead of the chasing pack with another masterful display in the afternoon’s third round with birdies on the fourth, fifth, ninth and 10^th holes against a bogey on six.

“I feel good now. I am playing well and just have to keep giving myself chances,” said Oosthuizen, who is chasing his fifth European Tour victory and first in Asia.

“My swing feels really good and when you are playing like this, you really want to get a win because it just boosts the confidence and it is a good time of the year to do that.”

The third round will resume at 7.45am on Sunday with the fourth and final round to commence from 8.30am with players remaining in the same groupings.

Gallacher made three birdies in his first five holes and was glad to be in the hunt. “Obviously it will be tough because Louis is in great form. We all saw what he did last week and how well he played but if I can stick to my own game and keep doing what I am doing, then I will have a good chance,” said the 37-year-old Scot, who has won one title on the European Tour way back in 2004.

The in-form Lipsky kept in touch with the leader following birdies on the second, fifth and seventh holes as he managed to play 11 holes before play was halted.

“The last six holes are all birdie holes so I hope to convert some there. I’m definitely excited to be up on the leaderboard. I’m looking forward to making birdies and climbing up and hopefully compete,” said Lipsky.

Randhawa, who made six birdies in 13 holes but dropped three shots along the way, was excited about the prospect of ending his title drought.  “It’s been a while, about a year and half since I’ve been in contention in a big event. I guess nerves play a bit, but I was surprised how calm I was and how relaxed I was,” said Randhawa, who has won eight Asian Tour titles with the last coming in 2009.

Singh, a two-time Asian Tour number one, stayed on the fringe of contention and did not rule himself out. “I’m hitting the ball well. It’ll all come down to hitting a few putts tomorrow. I’m feeling pretty good. Let’s see what comes my way,” said Singh, who has six Asian Tour wins.

The only Malaysian to make the halfway cut, Shaaban Hussin, shot a third round 75 and is in 61^st place on one-over-par. “I hope to play well tomorrow and move up into the top 30. If I can shoot five or six-under, I should be okay,” said the slender Malaysian.

Leading Scores

-13: Louis OOSTHUIZEN (RSA) through 10 holes

-12: Stephen GALLACHER (SCO) (11 holes)

-10: Rafael CABRERA-BELLO (ESP) (13 holes), Danny WILLETT (ENG) (12 holes), David LIPSKY (USA) (11 holes)

-9: Ricardo GONZALEZ (ARG) (13 holes), Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) (13 holes), Hennie OTTO (RSA) (10 holes)

-8: Simon DYSON (ENG) (13 holes), Ben FOX (USA) (13 holes), Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) (13 holes)

Louis Oosthuizen

Oosthuizen, nicknamed after the animated character “Shrek” because of his gap teeth, returned to the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in the morning to complete his six holes of the second round with two more birdies for a four-under-par 68.

Countrymen Jbe Kruger, leader of the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, and Hennie Otto trail Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, by one with Scotland’s Stephen Gallagher in the US$2.5 million tournament sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Oosthuizen travelled for nearly 30 hours from Augusta to Kuala Lumpur where he spent “every second” reflecting on his play-off defeat to American left-hander Bubba Watson in the year’s opening Major. The 29-year-old South African, who entered Masters folklore with an albatross on the second hole during the final round, has shown no ill effects of jetlag to shoot up the leaderboard in the Maybank Malaysian Open.

Two birdies on 14 and 15 put him in the driver’s seat but Oosthuizen knows there is plenty of golf yet with 16 players being five shots off the lead with 36 holes remaining.

“I felt comfortable as I had a good night’s rest and I felt good this morning at the range and hit a few good shots,” said Oosthuizen, who leads on 10-under-par 134.

Meanwhile, Shaaban Hussin overcame his nerves to emerge as the sole Malaysian to survive the halfway cut. The slender Shaaban, who is a Maybank ambassador, completed his remaining nine holes of the second round in level par 72 to lie in tied 38th place on two-under-par 142.

Malaysia’s leading player Danny Chia, who shot a 73 on Friday, and teenage amateur Low Khai Jei were the next best local players on 146, missing the halfway cut by two shots.

Shaaban resumed his second round from the 10th fairway where he carded one birdie against three bogeys, the last being a missed two-foot par putt on the 18th hole. He was disappointed with his finish especially when he was two under for the round before thunderstorms halted his gallant run.

“It would have been better if the round did not stop yesterday. I had the momentum going and just couldn’t find my rhythm today. You can’t do anything with the weather delays. I’m disappointed, I won’t deny that,” he said.

“I played it very safe because I really wanted to make the cut. I think that worked against me. Now that I’ve made the cut, I’ll definitely go all out for birdies,” added Shaaban, who finished tied 13th in last week’s ISPS Handa Singapore Classic.

Leading Second Round Scores

134 – Louis OOSTHUIZEN (RSA) 66-68.

135 – Hennie OTTO (RSA) 71-64, Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 70-65, Stephen GALLACHER (SCO) 67-68.

136 – Romain WATTEL (FRA) 68-68.

137 – David LIPSKY (USA) 70-67, Martin KAYMER (GER) 70-67.

138 – Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 66-72, Danny WILLETT (ENG) 69-69, Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 65-73, Ben FOX (USA) 70-68, Rhys DAVIES (WAL) 70-68.

139 – Simon DYSON (ENG) 69-70, Ricardo GONZALEZ (ARG) 68-71, Rafael CABRERA-BELLO (ESP) 67-72, Charl SCHWARTZEL (RSA) 64-75.

“I felt like I was on a momentum and I could have gone lower if the play was not suspended. My rhythm and tempo was good. Looking at the scores of the leader, I think I have a good chance of closing the gap on them, but I shall not get aggressive. I think the goal is to stay calm and score when I can,” said Shaaban, who mixed four birdies against two bogeys on the outward nine of the West Course.

The best-placed Malaysian amateur was the talented teenager, Low Khai Jei, who shot a second successive 73 to match the performance of top Malaysian professional

Danny Chia.

Although it is unlikely that Low will make the cut, he described his maiden appearance in the Maybank Malaysian Open as a “truly priceless experience”.

“I’ve learnt a lot, and that every shot is crucial because if you miss a shot, the closer you get to missing the cut. I can say that I’ve fulfilled my goal for the week, which was to score under 74 in each round,” said Low, who turns 16 this June.

Among the 20 other Malaysians in the field, Ben Leong looks to have the best chance of making the cut. Leong was two-over-par overall after eight holes of his second round. The other Malaysians with outside chances of making the cut were Haziq Hamizan who was four-over after 12 holes, Sukree Othman (+5 through nine holes) and Nicholas Fung (+6 through eight holes).

American Rookie David Lipsky, who won the HANDA FALDO Cambodian Classic last month and finished second at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic on Sunday, extended his rich vein of form with a 67 pushing him to equal fourth place alongside world number seven Martin Kaymer of Germany (67) in the US$2.5 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

Masters runner-up Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, lying on eight-under for the championship through 12 holes, is amongst the 75 players who will return on Saturday morning (7.45am) to complete their rounds after an afternoon thunderstorm disrupted play. The third round is expected to begin at 11.30am.

Jyoti Randhawa, India’s first Asian number one in 2002, stayed in the title hunt with a battling 72 leaving him three shots off the pace.

The pint-sized Kruger, who took 27 putts in his round, is hoping to strike his irons hot during the weekend as he chases a second Asian Tour victory following his maiden success at the Avantha Masters in India in February.

“I’ve been working on a lot of things and it seems to be coming together which is always a good sign. I just worked a bit on my swing which is not really a 100% yet. My ball striking used to be my strength and now it is my weakness,” said Kruger.

He was delighted to jointly lead the elite field which includes his more illustrious countrymen Oosthuizen and 2011 Masters Tournament champion Charl Schwartzel, who lies on five under through 12 holes which he was three over par for the round.

“The mind-set will be the same. I’m going to hit it one shot at a time. I won’t really call it giving as Charl and Louis a run for their money because I just finished awesomely. It is just fun to be in contention, it doesn’t matter if it is with Charl or Louis,” smiled Kruger.

Otto, a two-time European Tour champion, did not enjoy the benefit of a practice round but was rewarded with a flawless card highlighted by eight birdies. “I played the course blind yesterday because I was first reserve for the pro-am and was expecting to get into that and use it as my practice round. But it didn’t happen. I walked the course on Wednesday so had an idea but it is obviously a lot different when you come to play it,” said the 35-year-old.

It has been a wild ride for Lipsky, who first topped the Qualifying School in January before breaking out for his maiden professional win in Cambodia. He continued his Asian sojourn with a stunning eagle from 75 yards on the third hole and four other birdies.

“You don’t always get the opportunity to play with these players. I played with Branden Grace and Simon Dyson, both are premier players on the European Tour. It is great to also be competing against Oosthuizen and Schwartzel. It is everything I dreamt of as a little kid … to be competing against the best in the world. I’m loving this opportunity,” said Lipsky.

Kaymer, the highest ranked player in the field, charged into contention with six birdies on the card. “I played really well and gave myself a lot of birdie chances. I had a good eagle chance on three and felt like a hit a lot of good putts but maybe just over-read the greens. I feel good about the game and if I can make a few more putts I feel I can really get into the tournament,” said the German, winner of the 2010 PGA Championship.

Randhawa failed to reproduce Thursday’s fireworks as he settled for a battling 72, which included two birdies against as many bogeys. The Indian, an eight-time winner but not since 2009, conceded he got ahead of himself in his bid to end his title drought.

“I was a little anxious, trying to make putts, trying to hit shots. Wasn’t committed and wasn’t focused to what I needed to do and play. I was more focused on the result and scoring. I had a few opportunities and had a few misses. Probably I was over anxious trying to make a score,” he said.

“The swing was a bit patchy. Best thing is that I know what I need to do. But I need to do it under pressure. I need to stay behind the ball. I have a tendency to move ahead of the ball. I need to be more centred and balanced. It’s a very old habit and I guess old habits die hard,” added Randhawa.

Leading Completed Round 2 Scores:

135 – Hennie OTTO (RSA) 71-64, Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 70-65.

137 – David LIPSKY (USA) 70-67, Martin KAYMER (GER) 70-67.

138 – Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 66-72, Danny WILLETT (ENG) 69-69.

139 – Simon DYSON (ENG) 69-70, Ricardo GONZALEZ (ARG) 68-71.

140 – Tom LEWIS (ENG) 70-70, LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 72-68, Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL) 72-68, Victor DUBUISSON (FRA) 72-68.

141 – Stephen LEWTON (ENG) 70-71, Julien QUESNE (FRA) 69-72, Scott HEND (AUS) 70-71, Branden GRACE (RSA) 69-72, Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN) 70-71, Ignacio GARRIDO (ESP) 71-70.

142 – Matteo MANASSERO (ITA) 70-72, Rikard KARLBERG (SWE) 73-69, Peter KARMIS (RSA) 72-70, Gaurav GHEI (IND) 68-74.