KUALA LUMPUR: An errant driving game proved frustrating for Gavin Kyle Green as the rising Malaysian star failed to build on his brilliant opening display at the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Green, who started the day tied for second with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, struggled to find the fairways as he signed for a second round two-over 74 at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China.

The Asian Tour Order of Merit leader is eight shots back of halfway leader Dustin Johnson of the United States, bunched in tied-12 place on five-under, alongside David Lipsky and Australia’s Scott Hend, ranked second and third respectively on the money list.

“The last two days, I struggled to hit the fairways today, which led to very difficult second shots out of the rough, and it’s tough to control. I came back with a couple of birdies,” ,” said Green, who had two birdies against four bogeys on his card.

“I grinded hard. I really tried to stay so patient towards the end just because it’s a tough golf course, and nobody’s really scoring. I stayed patient throughout the whole day, and really just tried to give myself many looks.”

He hopes to give a better account of himself when the weekend rounds commence. “It has been a great three weeks and hopefully I can finish it off strongly. I’m just going out there to play my best, and as long as I can get two more under par rounds, that’s my target for the next two days.”