Sanna Nuutinen and Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat continued to match one another as they both recorded second rounds of 70 (-2) to share the lead on 11-under-par at the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup.
The duo held the lead overnight at the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club after firing rounds of 63 (-9) in the co-sanctioned event with the Asian Tour, which has a purse of USD $750,000.
It wasn’t the same flying start as yesterday for Nuutinen, who started on the 10th tee, as she dropped a shot on the 12th but made two birdies on 13 and 18.
A second dropped shot on the first was soon forgotten with two more birdies as she signed for a round of 70 on her 31st birthday.
“I found the conditions a bit tougher today. The morning conditions were super windy, and a couple of pins were tucked,” said Nuutinen, who finished fourth in the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol.
“The setup was a bit tougher. They moved a couple of tees up which was fun, and I really like the 15th hole because now it is drivable, and I like to hit my driver towards the green whenever possible.
“It is my birthday today. I will see what the girls have planned for me later on. The problem is I might enjoy the practice facilities too much, so I need my caddie to make sure I get on the bus to go to the hotel.”
For 15-year-old Chantananuwat it was a similar tale as he made two bogeys and four birdies to share the clubhouse lead alongside Nuutinen.
“There was a lot more wind today than yesterday, so tough conditions but overall, I am not really happy with the way I played,” said the Thai teenager. “It wasn’t a great round, but it wasn’t that bad either. I scrambled two under and I am still in the lead, which is okay, but I could have been better.
“I was trying to build on yesterday as much as possible and not lose many strokes. For the weekend, I am just going to try and play like yesterday and go as deep as possible and play with less pressure.”
Korea’s Bio Kim carded a bogey-free round of 67 (-5) to move into a share of third place on 10-under-par.
“Finished two rounds with double digits and I am happy I am getting an interview which is always good. My game is on and off, my ball striking is a bit iffy. I was missing here and there with some of the shots, somehow, I got out of it and capitalized on the chances I had,” said Kim.
“At the moment I am not trying to go get something, I am trying to focus on my game. One shot at a time. To be honest with my ball striking and rhythm I need to get a little more sharper to reach the goals I want to achieve. I am losing shots to the right, somehow, I have got to fix it and go to the range, maybe a timing issue.”
Kim shares third place with South African Ian Snyman and Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, whose only blemish on his card was a double bogey on the fifth, before rolling in a birdie on his last to move to 10-under.
“Today my game was good although I made a double bogey. Overall, my performance over two days is acceptable and as planned. The only thing to improve is my putting,” said Khongwatmai.
“I will have to practice more on this. There was no problem with the windy condition, I am used to it. The remaining two days I will fight and keep to my ow game plan.”
Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol and American Paul Peterson are T6 on nine-under-par at the halfway point, while Australia’s Todd Sinnott, American Sihwan Kim and Korea’s Taehee Lee sit one shot further back on eight-under-par as does Indonesia’s Rory Hie, who carded the joint-best round of the day with a 64.
Northern Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey also produced a sensational 64 where she rolled in five birdies on her front nine before making two bogeys, three birdies and an eagle on her back nine to be at seven-under for the tournament.
“It felt easy. I hit a lot of fairways and greens and I putted well for the majority of it. It was easy golf, nothing too crazy and it was smart in the right places,” said the 2022 LET rookie.
“It is my first time in Thailand, so it is always nice to see a new country, and I am loving it here so far. It is definitely hot and humid but that is part of the job, so it has been fun.
“I’m enjoying seeing new countries and being on the LET and just trying to get myself used to travelling a lot. Even though I was pro last year I didn’t have a full schedule, so I definitely want to be nice with myself and ease in quite slowly.”
After 36 holes, the cut fell at -2 with 75 players making it through to the final two rounds of the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup.
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