Goh: Koh enjoys familiarity
PUBLISHED ONJuly 10, 2015 7:15 PMByGodfrey Robert
Familiarity with the course saw Koh Dengshan move up two places to take the joint-lead on the second day of the $25,000 SPGA-Boustead Golf Open at Raffles Country Club (RCC) yesterday.
Koh, No. 4 on the Local Order of Merit and a pro with RCC, shot a four-under 68 to join overnight leader Lam Chih Bing at the perch in a field of 48 professionals.
Lam, who shot a blistering 65 on Tuesday, returned a 71 yesterday to be on eight-under 136 on the difficult Palm Course.
But it was Koh's round that aroused much talk as he bagged six birdies against two bogeys on a course he relishes.
Said Koh: "I've been practising on this course. I'm hitting the ball well and my putting was good."
Teeing off from the 10th tee, Koh started well with a birdie and followed up with two more on the 16th and 18th against a bogey on the 17th to complete the nine on 34.
He again started the second nine well with a birdie, but lost the stroke with a bogey on the next hole.
However, on the sixth, he was handed a brilliant boost when a driver and six-iron cradled his ball on the edge of a bunker on the 400-metre par-four hole.
From there, he chipped onto a perfect landing area on the green and the ball rolled forward - momentarily standing at the edge of the hole before dropping for a birdie.
Another birdie on the par-four ninth helped him share the top spot with the veteran Lam.
But it is another veteran that the two leaders fear most in today's final round.
Singapore's No. 1 Mardan Mamat shot a 71, to add to his 67, to lie two shots behind the leaders.
Mardan, also an RCC pro, rued his putting, only just missing several chances. But he remains a big threat to the leading duo.
A further shot back are two seasoned campaigners, Choo Tze Huang (70) and Quincy Quek (71), both former Putra Cup champions.
A stroke further back are two rookie pros - Sanmarth Dwivedi (68) and Johnson Poh, Singapore's SEA Games silver-medallist (71) - on 140.
godfrey@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on July 09, 2015.
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