KUALA LUMPUR: Danny Chia bounced back from his recent slump by carding an admirable two-under 70 to stay in the hunt at the weather-disrupted Hero Indian Open on Thursday.
The 44-year-old Chia enjoyed a flying start with three opening birdies before going on to pick up more shots on the 14th, second and sixth holes.
The double Asian Tour winner trails clubhouse leader Matteo Manassero by two shots at the DLF Golf & Country Club in New Delhi, India.
He dropped a bogey on four and a double bogey on five after finding water with his tee shot, which plays onto an island green.
“Pretty happy for this course. Hit a lot of good shots, just made three bad shots which cost me a double bogey and two bogeys. But overall, I’m quite happy with it,” said Chia.
An errant driving game has plagued Chia’s game in recent months but the seasoned campaigner is slowly piecing together the puzzle on what’s wrong.
“I’m glad I have an idea with what’s going on with my driving. I haven’t been driving well since Hong Kong last year. Kind of got into a slump. I’m happy that I’ve started to hit it a bit better.
The ultra-challenging DLF course bared its fangs with some holes seeing scores as high as a 12 and a couple of 10s but the former national number one is taking it in his stride.
“You just have to ignore it (course being tough). I hit quite a lot of good shots and got unlucky with some of the bounces on the green and some parts of the greens were pretty firm. It’s the way it is. Everyone is playing the same golf course,” noted Chia, who is hopeful of making the weekend for only the second time this season on the Asian Tour.
Gavin Kyle Green traded six birdies with as many bogeys to return with a even-par 72 while Nicholas Fung was one-over through 16 holes in the US$1.75 million tournament tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Indian Golf Union.
A total of 66 players will return to the course on Friday morning to conclude their second rounds following a 90-minute suspension in the afternoon due to the threat of lightning. Amongst them is England’s David Horsey, who stood at five-under through 15 holes.
